Fraser Preston has an uncertain future as he’s out of contract this summer, hasn’t played for Sheffield Wednesday since November 2018 and hasn’t yet been handed a new deal, as per Dom Howson of Yorkshire Live.
The 21-year-old may have a slim chance of staying at Hillsborough, however, as Garry Monk could be short on attackers next season and will have noted Preston’s impressive form for the U23s.
Morgan Fox, Kieran Lee, Joey Pelupessy, Sam Hutchinson, Sam Winnall, Atdhe Nuhiu, Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher are the eight first-team players soon-to-be out of contract at Wednesday, but only Fox and Fletcher have deals on the table.
Howson was asked if other players were offered extensions and said: “Not as far as I am aware. I think the main focus is understandably on tying down Fox and Fletcher at the moment. It will be interesting to see what Monk does up front. If he decides not to renew the contracts of Forestieri, Winnall and Nuhiu, it will leave him short of options.”
Connor Wickham will soon return to Crystal Palace after his loan spell at Hillsborough while Forestieri, Winnall and Nuhiu look set to be released, so Wednesday could be left with only Fletcher and Jordan Rhodes next season. Preston may be worth holding on to.
The 21-year-old has only made four career appearances for Wednesday, but he’s been prolific for the U23s this season – scoring in August 2019’s 3-1 win over Watford, October’s 5-1 win over Hull City, October’s 4-2 defeat to Bolton Wanderers, January 2020’s 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers, February’s 2-0 win over Barnsley and March’s 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
Preston is still young enough to develop and Monk may need multiple strikers next season, so is it worth keeping him for another year? He’s not a first-team player so his contract won’t break the bank, and Wednesday don’t have a lucrative budget for new signings, so the 21-year-old might tick all the boxes.
