According to the Sheffield Star, Sheffield Wednesday will not extend David Bates’ contract to the end of the revised season. The 23-year-old has been on the periphery at Hillsborough since August, so it isn’t a surprise that the Owls want to cut ties.
Wednesday have until June 23 to either extend Bates’ deal for another month, sign him permanently or send him back to Hamburg. Questions must be asked about recruitment, however, as the out-of-favour centre-back spent the last six months of the season in the U23s.
Bates has made one appearance in all competitions this season, playing a full 90 minutes in Wednesday’s EFL Cup win over Rotherham United (August 28). He was included in the matchday squad for another three weeks before being exiled entirely in late-September.
EFL recently confirmed that the Championship season will resume, so Garry Monk’s men are being put through their paces ahead of their meeting with Nottingham Forest on the weekend beginning June 20.
Despite Monk having only Dominic Iorfa, Tom Lees and Julian Borner at centre-back, Bates wasn’t given a look-in – Sam Hutchinson as a makeshift defender was deemed a better option than the Scotland international. He won’t be missed.
