Clubs plotting to sign player who has just left Sheffield Wednesday

Sign in to your FootballLeagueWorld accountA number of EFL clubs are after Sheffield Wednesday free agent Pol Valentin, including two Championship clubs. On Friday night came the confirmation that Valentin and six of his teammates would be leaving Hillsborough at the end of this season when their contracts expired. Wednesday had the option to extend his deal by a further year, which he originally signed two summers ago when Xisco Munoz brought him over from Sporting Gijon to South Yorkshire as a free agent, but they opted against holding onto the 28-year-old beyond the end of this term. He revealed in a statement on his Instagram page, after the news of his release was revealed, that it was not his decision to depart, but that he left “with my head held high and a heart full of memories that I’ll carry with me forever.” Anthony Musaba, Michael Smith and Josh Windass did have their options taken up by the club, keeping them at Hillsborough for at least one more season. EFL interest in Pol Valentin revealedThe Spanish right-back has already gone back to his home country, but there are plenty of clubs in England who would like to obtain his services once his Wednesday deal expires, according to The Star. Among the teams that are interested, a pair of them are said to be from the Owls’ division. Valentin has racked up 80 Championship caps since making his English second tier debut in 2023, helping the Owls to reach survival in one of the most miraculous relegation recoveries of all time, masterminded by first-team boss, and successor to the man that signed the Spaniard, Danny Rohl. RelatedThere is interest from back home, too, according to reports. Journalist Angel Garcia revealed that a pair of clubs from Spain’s own second division – La Liga Hypermotion – are interested in signing Valentin. This was the league he played in prior to coming to England. He played 88 times for Gijon and CF Fuenlabrada from the 2017/18 season until he joined Wednesday in July 2023. Pol Valentin has proven himself to be Championship worthyValentin is by no means a standout full-back option in the Championship – there’s a reason why he only started just over half of the games that he played for Wednesday this season, at an average of 45 minutes per game. But that’s what he is: a solid rotation option who should be able to fit in well into most second tier squads. Pol Valentin’s 24/25 Championship stats Appearances 34 Starts 13 Minutes per game 45 Goals 1 Assists 0 Big chances created 4 Duels won per game 2.9 (49%) Source: Sofascore Would you recommend a team that wants to fight for promotion to go out and sign Valentin? Probably not. For roughly Wednesday’s level, though, or a bit below, of course he’d be a very assured addition.