After being hampered by an EFL-imposed embargo earlier in the summer, Sheffield Wednesday have had a remarkable transfer window and look strong as they aim for an instant return to the Championship.

A 0-0 draw away at Charlton Athletic at the weekend may not seem that impressive, but Nigel Adkins' side lost just one of their last 15 league games in the 2020/21 campaign and a clean sheet will only go on to give their defence more confidence.

As they approach their second game of the season against Doncaster Rovers, manager Darren Moore's former club before joining the Owls, they will be hoping to utilise their home advantage to get four points on the board in their first two third-tier games.

 

 

This would be a respectable total and would put them in a good position in the race for promotion, but there are still 45 league games to go against the likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland and others who will all be expected to be in the running.

With this, the South Yorkshire side may want to add one or two more new faces to their squad to add to their 12 arrivals so far this summer - but will also need to look over their shoulder to ensure none of their key players head out the exit door.

Bearing this in mind, we take a look at a few of the latest transfer developments to have happened at Hillsborough in recent days.

Owls and Oxford in Harrison race

Sheffield Wednesday have joined League One rivals Oxford United in the race to sign Portsmouth forward Ellis Harrison, according to Hampshire Live.

As per the outlet, both interested sides have enquired about the 27-year-old's services, with the striker seemingly surplus to requirements after the loan arrival of George Hirst from Leicester City last week and Norwich City loanee Gassan Ahadme also emerging as another option after impressing in pre-season.

Harrison, who previously played for Bristol Rovers and Ipswich Town, has recorded 16 goals and five assists in 70 competitive appearances for Danny Cowley's side since his arrival in 2019 but only managed to get himself on the scoresheet four times in the third tier last term.

However, the attacking department is one that Moore needs to address with Josh Windass' injury and with the amount of experience he has in League One, Harrison could be seen as an ideal man to come in.

Nottingham Forest express interest in Palmer

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Championship outfit Nottingham Forest are keen on a move for long-serving Wednesday right-back Liam Palmer, as per The Sun's Alan Nixon.

With the East Midlands side's full-back Jordan Gabriel attracting interest from the likes of Blackpool and Sunderland this summer, Palmer could potentially be brought in to take his spot and provide a wealth of Championship experience in a side who will want to improve on their league finish from last season.

29-year-old Palmer graduated through the South Yorkshire side's youth system and has made over 300 senior appearances for the club, being a reliable figure at the back for the Owls and remaining with the team despite their drop to League One, as things stand.

However, Chris Hughton's side could potentially give him a route back to the second tier and with the right-back yet to agree a new deal at Hillsborough and less than 12 months left on his current contract, the third-tier outfit may decide to cash in on him whilst they can.

Gibson secures loan move

Sheffield Wednesday announced the temporary signing of Everton defender Lewis Gibson on Saturday, with the 21-year-old joining on a season-long loan from Goodison Park.

The centre-back spent last season at Reading but failed to make a real impression under Veljko Paunovic - and was often left out of the starting lineup in favour of the Royals' academy graduates Tom McIntyre and Tom Holmes as he made just 13 league appearances.

After this unsuccessful spell in Berkshire, he has now dropped down a tier in an attempt to prove himself to new Everton boss Rafa Benitez.

He will be a much-needed at the back for Moore after the summer departures of Tom Lees and Julian Borner, with the Owls hoping he can utilise his limited Championship experience to get them back to the second tier. There will be no shortage of motivation to do well.

Released forward Kachunga joins Bolton

Elias Kachunga has linked up with Ian Evatt's recently promoted Bolton Wanderers after being released from Hillsborough at the start of the summer.

The 29-year-old was a key part of Huddersfield Town's promotion-winning 2016/17 season and continued to appear regularly in the top flight for the Terriers before their relegation in 2019.

He was released by Carlos Corberan's side last year and joined Sheffield Wednesday on a one-year deal, but he failed to make an impression under multiple managers and was not offered a new contract on the expiration of his contract.

Kachunga has been labelled as a possible replacement for a fellow Bolton summer signing in Xavier Amaechi, who sustained a fractured metatarsal and was forced to undergo surgery at the end of last month.

He brings plenty of second-tier experience to the Greater Manchester side.