This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield Wednesday winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has reportedly signed a contract extension despite interest from Wigan Athletic.

The 29-year-old joined the Owls as a free agent in November and his short-term contract was set to expire this weekend.

However, the Sheffield Star has revealed that despite interest from Wigan, Mendez-Laing has signed a new deal at Hillsborough.

But was that the right decision from a Wednesday perspective?

Our FLW writers issue their verdicts...

Alfie Burns

100%. They should be looking to keep him, so a new deal makes perfect sense.

Mendez-Laing has shown signs of giving Wednesday what they want from their wing-backs, with a goal and an assist in the impressive win over Plymouth last time out.

Darren Moore has tried Theo Corbeanu in a similar role earlier in the season and had mixed success, with Mendez-Laing looking far more suited to the wing-back position.

Corbeanu has already gone, so it would be foolish for Wednesday to let another solution to the position leave this month.

Other areas like centre-back and the attacking unit need prioritising, but Mendez-Laing potentially departing gives Moore another headache and another piece of business to do in the final week of the window – it’s a no-brainer to at least offer the deal.

Confidence will be through the roof right now, with the offer of a contract one of the simplest decisions Wednesday will make this month.

Josh Cole

This is unquestionably the right call by Sheffield Wednesday as Mendez-Laing has already illustrated that he is capable of delivering the goods during his brief stint at the club.

A stand-out performer during last weekend's clash with Plymouth, the 29-year-old scored and created a goal in this fixture as he recorded a WhoScored match rating of 8.28.

When you consider that Mendez-Laing has now been directly involved in 47 goals at this level in his career, he could prove to be a valuable asset for the Owls if he signs a new contract.

By maintaining his form as well as his consistency in the coming months, the winger could potentially help the Owls secure an immediate return to the Championship later this year.

Declan Harte 

Mendez-Laing has only made four league appearances for Wednesday since joining the club last November. That includes two starts from the six games the Owls have played since he arrived.

However, in that time he has earned a goal and an assist, opening his account with the club in their most recent league match against Plymouth Argyle.

With the team now hopefully set to be more settled in the next few weeks, this should allow for more consistency in team selection.

Mendez-Laing’s experience is also quite impressive and could be invaluable as Wednesday battle for the play-off places. It is absolutely the right decision to keep him at the club, as it is worth keeping the player if Wednesday can convince him to stay.