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Contracts expiring, loans finishing – 8 strikers could leave Sheff Wed this summer

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There could be an exodus of strikers at Sheffield Wednesday this summer. The Owls have numerous out-of-contract players who haven’t been handed a new deal and also have a first-teamer whose loan is up in the coming months.

An inability to progress through the youth ranks could see a number of U23 players released while the poor form of many first-teamers may lead to similar treatment – eight strikers could be on their way out in one transfer window.

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Who did Sheffield Wednesday sign Josh Windass on loan from?

Connor Wickham re-joined Wednesday on loan in January and failed to score in seven appearances, so he’s unlikely to be re-signed when his disappointing stint comes to an end this summer.

Omar Damba is soon-to-be out of contract and may not be retained as he’s yet to make an appearance at senior level for the Owls.

The 20-year-old has played for the U23s, but he has Steven Fletcher, Connor Wickham, Fernando Forestieri, Jordan Rhodes, Sam Winnall, Fraser Preston and Preslav Burokov standing in his way of first-team football, so a departure looks on the cards.

Atdhe Nuhiu has scored only four goals in 33 games this season and is out of contract in the coming months, so he’d be fortunate to get a new deal. Nuhiu turns 31 in July and earns £0.68m-a-year/£13k-a-week, so the money may be better spent elsewhere.

Sam Winnall has scored only two goals in 17 games this season and is out of contract in the coming months, so he’s another player who would be fortunate to be handed a new deal.

The 29-year-old earns more than Nuhiu (£0.83m-a-year/£16k-a-week) too, so there’s even more reason for Wednesday to let his contract run this summer. A lot of fans are happy for him to be released.

Preslav Borukov’s future is uncertain as his contract is expiring, but there could be a chance he’s offered a new deal as he’s been called up to the first-team.

He was coy about contract talks when asked on Instagram Live and wouldn’t break the bank considering the wages of U23 players, but Wednesday still haven’t made a move.

Fraser Preston is another U23 player whose contract is up in the coming months, but he could be retained after impressing in the reserves – the 22-year-old scored in six games.

A lot of fans want to keep Preston for another season, but Wednesday have extended Ben Hughes’ deal and ignored the 22-year-old, so he may be on his way out.

Fernando Forestieri has scored only two goals in 19 games this season and hasn’t made progress in hashing out a new deal past this summer, so a departure may be on the cards.

The 30-year-old earns £1.3m-a-year/£25k-a-week too, so Wednesday may be better off letting him go.

Steven Fletcher’s future is uncertain as his deal is up this summer but Wednesday are desperate to keep him.

The 33-year-old has been in talks since February but little progress appears to have been made, so there may be a fear that he’s considering his options.

Read Crippy Cooke’s previous article

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Sports journalist who is an avid football fan, enjoys debunking transfer rumours, loves to write pieces about players out in the cold and takes a large amount of pride getting a predicted XI 100% correct.