Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk has suggested that the Owls managed to get most of the business they intended to do done during the January transfer window, but also outlined the reason they did not do business with the top Premier League clubs.

The Owls headed into January looking to add some extra creativity and goals into their squad, which was made even more crucial with the injury picked up Steven Fletcher in the FA Cup win at Brighton, but they left it until the latter stages of the transfer window before they secured their targets.

Monk’s side were able to bring in Alessio Da Cruz, Connor Wickham and Josh Windass on loan from Parma, Crystal Palace and Wigan Athletic respectively before the window closed, whilst deciding against moving for players at some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs who have made loan moves elsewhere in the Championship.

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Speaking to the Sheffield Star ahead of the Owls’ trip to Barnsley on Saturday, Monk suggested that he is content with the business the Owls have managed to do in the window, whilst also offering a reason for not bringing in players from the top six in the Premier league, saying: "The priority was to strengthen those attacking areas and we’ve managed to get the three lads in, which is important.

"With what happened to Steven [Fletcher], there was an even bigger need for that and while you’re always looking around for where you can strengthen, that was the priority and I was pleased with that.
"Having relationships with those types of clubs, of course that’s a part of it. I have relationships with those clubs and know people at those clubs, people in the recruitment department know those people and those relationships are there to be used if possible in periods.
"If it suits you and suits them, then great. But it’s not by design, it was about what we were trying to target, what was available and what was doable."

The verdict

Monk is understandably pleased with the work Sheffield Wednesday managed to do in the closing stages of the transfer window, with the Owls, at one stage, looking like they could struggle to manage to bring in the attacking reinforcements they needed.

However, the signing of Wickham has allowed them to have another option up front, as they look to improve their ability to convert chances going forwards and replace the loss of top scorer Steven Fletcher to injury, and the forward should prove to be a decent investment for the rest of the campaign.

The additions of both Da Cruz and Windass should enable the Owls to be more productive in creating chances in the final third, which is something they did need to improve during the January window, so in terms of incomings although they left it late they have managed to strengthen.

Monk’s comments on not being able to sign players from the top Premier League clubs is also very interesting, with a few players like Emile Smith Rowe going onto impress in the early stages of their loan spells in the Championship, and they will hope that the players they brought in can perform equally as well.