Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has revealed he has held talks with defender Yan Valery regarding his future at the club.
The 27-year-old joined the Owls in 2024 from French outfit Angers for a fee of around £400,000. He immediately nailed down the right-back spot under Danny Rohl, who played a key role in the signing after the pair worked together at Southampton.
Valery continued to play a prominent role during the first half of last season. However, with relegation to League One a certainty, he was loaned out to Swiss top flight side Young Boys in February.
The Tunisian international returned to South Yorkshire in the summer after featuring in the World Cup, starting last weekend’s Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers. Despite that, he has consistently been linked with a transfer, with the likes of Millwall, Wrexham and Rangers all linked with his signature.
Pedersen Reveals Talks With Defender
Sheffield Wednesday begin life in League One with a trip to Leyton Orient tomorrow afternoon. The versatile right-back is expected to feature as Pedersen looks to start the new campaign with a bang.
Speaking to The Star, the manager admitted that there has been dialogue with Valery:
“We had a dialogue with Yan about this and here we have a very respectful relationship in this. There is no doubt that Yan is a strong player and there is no doubt that we can also see Yan stay at Sheffield Wednesday.
“This is where the dialogue is, so let’s see what happens in the next one week, 10 days. I think Yan also considers his own situation right now and I can only say that it looks like Yan is happy. Let’s see what happens in the next one week or 10 days.”
Retaining Valery Would Be A Major Coup
Wednesday have made some smart signings this summer and begin the season as one of the favourites for promotion. The likes of Louie Barry, Billy Mitchell, Sil Swinkels and Callum Slattery represent some excellent business and will certainly put them in the upper bracket of the division.
Retaining Valery’s services would arguably elevate them further. He is an exceptional defender for this level and one that is a seasoned international. It’s no surprise that teams that are expected to be competing at the top end of the Championship are amongst those rumoured to be interested.
That said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these teams come knocking in the final days of the transfer window, which would make the situation a tricky one. The defender is out of contract at the end of the season and this summer represents the Owls’ final opportunity to land a decent fee for their key asset.
