Sheffield Wednesday summer signing Chey Dunkley has claimed he wants the Owls to emulate Yorkshire rivals Leeds United and end their long absence from the Premier League.

The Whites won the Championship and secured promotion to the top flight last term, meaning they returned to the top tier of English football for the first time in 16 years.

The wait has been even longer for Wednesday, who have been absent from the top flight since they were relegated in the 1999/00 campaign.

Dunkley joined the Owls from Wigan earlier this summer and it appears he is very positive about what his new club can achieve.

Speaking on BBC Radio Sheffield, the defender indicated that he felt they would be targeting promotion despite starting the campaign with a 12-point deduction.

He said: “It is a massive club in terms of history, looking from the outside in, it is a big club. In terms of the clubs I have represented, it is probably the biggest club I have been representing so that was an easy decision to make.

“Also, the gaffer. We were speaking, we spoke for a few weeks and he has a vision and I believed in it. I feel that it is a club that has not been in the Premier League for 20 years and it would be very nice to be a part of that success story to get this club back to where it wants to be.

“I always saw it with our neighbours Leeds, it took them 16 years to get back into the Premier League. It would be very good to do it with this club so it was an easy decision for me."

He added: "The vision is moving forward, trying to do one better than what they did in the last few seasons that have been in the Championship and that was the vision, can we get promoted? Even with the downside of it.

“We know about the 12-point deduction but it is still within us to really attack it and try and get promoted. Why not?”

Dunkley is one of three players to have made the move to Hillsborough this summer as Garry Monk looks to rebuild his squad following a number of free agent exits.

You'd imagine he will slot into the defensive side alongside Dom Iorfa, who was particularly impressive last term.

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The Verdict

You've got to appreciate the determination from Dunkley but I think promotion this season is going to be a bit of a stretch for the Owls.

Their squad still looks as though it needs some work and overcoming a 12-point deduction is not going to be easy, particularly if they want to be battling at the top of the table.

If they're patient with Monk's rebuild then perhaps they can look to emulate Leeds in a few years time but I think this season is too soon.