Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer says the club are to try and agree a new contract with utility man Callum Paterson.

Having joined Wednesday from Cardiff City last summer, Paterson has so far made 50 appearances in all competitions for the Owls, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in that time.

Paterson is now into the final year of his contract at Hillsborough, meaning as things stand, he could leave the club for free at the end of this season.

However, Wednesday manager Darren Moore has confirmed that the club are in talks with Paterson over a new deal, with the player himself said to be keen to remain at the club.

Now it seems as though Palmer believes extending Paterson's deal would be the right move for Wednesday, and he feels the club need to get that done quickly, given the 26-year-old's contract situation.

Speaking to This Is Futbol about the possibility of a new Sheffield Wednesday contract for Paterson, the ex-England international said: “He’s been a mainstay for them, he’s the right age he’s 26, he plays consistently for them and does well for them. So, I wouldn’t think that’s a problem in terms of Sheffield Wednesday wanting to re-sign him. 

“But again, it’s not letting him run down into the last year of the contract, because that’s where the problem comes in, because once people know you run down into the last year of that contract, they can start negotiations, so it’s better to get that out of the way if you want to keep the player, which I’m sure Wednesday will do.

“Again, he’s another player who can play in the league above, so he’s one of them you want to tie down for as long as possible.”

The Verdict

It is hard to argue with what Palmer is saying about the prospect of a new Wednesday contract for Paterson here.

The 26-year-old has been a really important figure for the Owls with his presence in the side during his time at Hillsborough so far, so it would surely make sense to keep him around.

Indeed, they are not going to want to lose a player who is as valuable as he is for free next summer, so it makes sense to get him a new contract from that perspective as well.

Despite their relegation from the Championship last season, it has already been an impressive summer for Wednesday, both in terms of new signings and new contracts for the likes of Josh Windass and Dominic Iorfa. Agreeing a new deal with Paterson, would round that off nicely.