Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith could be set to depart the club this summer, if a new shot-stopper is to arrive, according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon...
What's the story?
Wildsmith has been with Sheffield Wednesday since he came through the club's academy system in 2014, and has gone on to make 81 appearances in total for the first-team over the years.
But he has found consistent minutes hard to come by in recent seasons, with Cameron Dawson being the preferred option between the posts at times for the Owls.
Darren Moore's side are preparing for life in the third tier of English football, after they were relegated from the Championship last term, after a disappointing league campaign in 2020/21.
Nixon has previously revealed that Sheffield Wednesday held an interest in signing Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, with the Northern Irish international struggling for consistent minutes with Sean Dyche's men.
He has since followed that up with an update on Wildsmith's future at Hillsborough, and it appears as though his days could be numbered if a new goalkeeper is to arrive before the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion.
It's the right decision
The goalkeeping department at Sheffield Wednesday has had its critics over the years, but the club have endured a turbulent spell off-the-field, which could have potentially have impacted some performances in recent seasons.
Keiren Westwood was the club's first-choice goalkeeper for a number of seasons, but with his future being elsewhere at the end of the 2020/21 season, both Dawson and Wildsmith were presented with their opportunities to impress.
Wildsmith has caught the eye with some strong performances, but some might argue that he lacks consistency when involved in the starting XI, and he could soon be heading for the exit door ahead of the new League One season.
The 25-year-old had an average Whoscored rating of just 6.16 from the 2020/21 season, which ranks him a dismal 26th on the list at Sheffield Wednesday, with only Jack Marriott, Andre Green and Alex Hunt below him in the rankings, and that trio only made a handful of appearances for the Owls last term.
Whereas Wildsmith made 19 league appearances in total for the club last season, but was far from convincing between the posts, as he only kept five clean sheets for Darren Moore's side.
Cameron Dawson isn't much better when it comes to Whoscored's ratings, with the 26-year-old averaging 6.35, which puts him 21st on the list.
But when comparing him to Bailey Peacock-Farrell, the former Leeds United goalkeeper comes out better in terms of statistics whilst he was with the Yorkshire-based side.
Peacock-Farrell kept ten clean sheets for the Whites in the 2018/19 season, and already has experience of playing regularly in the Championship whilst with Leeds.
Therefore, you have to feel as though Sheffield Wednesday would be making the right decision in moving Wildsmith on this summer, especially if they were to strike an agreement with Burnley for Peacock-Farrell. With reported wages of £5,100 per-week, Wildsmith's potential departure could free up more space on the Sheffield Wednesday wage bill, which could be used on other areas of the squad moving forwards.