Sheffield Wednesday are currently one of many sides battling for promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, but currently find themselves just outside the top-six.

And, with a wealth of competition to even secure a play-off spot, yet alone win promotion outright, it's going to be a tough test of Carlos Carvalhal's squad to once again get inside the top six.

Ten points separate the Owls and the automatic promotion spots, which makes it clear the play-offs are the only route of success for Wednesday to go down.

With the likes of Huddersfield Town, Leeds United, Birmingham City, Norwich City and a hatful of others also setting the same goal though, January will be a crucial month.

All the promotion-chasing sides will be looking to bolster their squads and it's no different for Wednesday.

However, offloading fringe players is also crucial, as it frees up space and wages for new arrivals, so Carvalhal faces a busy month.

Here, FootballLeagueWorld writer Josh Challies identifies TWO players who must be shipped out of the club in January, as there's no space for them in the Owls squad moving forward...

Atdhe Nuhiu

27-year-old striker Atdhe Nuhiu has featured ten times for the Owls this season, with nine of those appearances coming in the Championship, with his last appearance coming at the end of October.

However, he has yet to net this season.

The Austrian has served the Owls well for the past three years, making over 100 league appearances, but has never quite found the form in front of goal, scoring just 19 goals in 132 league appearances.

Therefore, it's time for an upgrade.

Offloading Nuhiu and bringing in another striker would be the perfect move for Carvalhal's side, and it's a course of action he must take.

Lewis McGugan

 

After a long spell with Nottingham Forest, and two successful loan stints with the Owls, Lewis McGugan made his switch to Wednesday permanent in 2015.

Unfortunately, he's only made 12 appearances for the first team in the Championship since.

Not playing a single game this season, McGugan's time with Wednesday is clearly up. and the Owls should ensure they get rid of him in the January window.

They tried, and failed, to offload him in the summer. and the situation certainly needs to be revisited by the club when the window opens in the New Year.

Sheffield Wednesday fans... do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!