Alan Biggs’ Sheffield Wednesday column: A summer for Owls when nothing is off-limits

Not “who could they afford to lose?” More a case of “who have they got who would attract bids?”

Every answer seemed to stop at Adam Reach and Barry Bannan. And with the form of that pair dragged down towards the team’s general mediocrity at that time, no-one was sold in January. Which was just as well in the case of that pair.

It will remain everyone’s wish to retain those two, in particular. But with with others having emerged as potentially attractive assets, Wednesday are in stronger health to restructure the squad than they were four months ago.

Credit here to Steve Bruce and players like skipper Tom Lees – and a couple of those poised for new deal offers, Liam Palmer and, of course, the outstanding Keiren Westwood.

With Fernando Forestieri fit again, if not as yet either fully selected or firing, and Lucas Joao flitting in and out from the fringe, the Owls do have genuine talent others might buy. And I think you can add younger ones, including keeper Cameron Dawson, who showed character and ability during the most torrid time of the season when he was exposed to so many errors by others that his own were inevitable.

The key difference will be Bruce and the approach he brings to it. This needs to be from the head and not the heart, as seems to have been the case in the past. In effect, there can’t be a single player who is “not for sale.” By that, I don’t mean wanting to sell anyone in particular.