Sheffield Wednesday announced their retained list for the 2022/23 campaign last weekend.

Whereas the Owls did exercise an option to extend Marvin Johnson's stay at the club, three senior players will officially leave the club when their contracts expire in June.

As confirmed by Wednesday's official website, Saido Berahino, Chey Dunkley and Sam Hutchinson will all be free to move on to pastures new after the club opted against offering them fresh terms.

Signed by the Owls last year following a stint at Zulte Waregem, Berahino would have been hoping to set the third-tier alight with his attacking displays.

However, the Burundi international only managed to show glimpses of his undoubted talent last season.

During the 40 appearances that he made for Wednesday in all competitions, Berahino scored eight goals and provided four assists for his team-mates.

After failing to impress in the first leg of the Owls' play-off semi-final showdown with Sunderland, the forward was brought in the latter stages by manager Darren Moore at Hillsborough earlier this month as the club suffered a 2-1 defeat on aggregate to Alex Neil's side.

Making reference to Berahino's exit, Carlton Palmer has admitted that he is not surprised that the forward has been allowed to leave Wednesday.

Speaking to FLW, Palmer said: "No, I'm not surprised at all.

"I'm not surprised.

"I expected more of him to be fair, you know, we're talking League One and he's played in the Premier League.

 

 

"I expected more of him, he looked well, well off the pace.

"I know he's been playing in Belgium and you come and you get an opportunity at a club like Sheffield Wednesday in League One, you grab it with both hands."

The Verdict

When you consider that Berahino has managed to score 23 goals in the top-flight during his career, Wednesday's supporters would have been hoping to see him spearhead a push for promotion in the 2021/22 campaign.

However, a lack of consistency in the previous term resulted in the forward failing to live up to expectations as he recorded an underwhelming average WhoScored match rating of 6.46 in the third-tier.

Wednesday may not necessarily miss Berahino if they draft in a replacement this summer who is capable of providing some serious competition for Lee Gregory.

A stand-out performer for the Owls in League One, Gregory managed to find the back of the net on 17 occasions at this level last season and will be determined to help his side challenge for a top-two finish next year.