Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday backed to offload £10k-a-week star - "summer of change" expected | OneFootball

Speaking exclusively with FLW, David Prutton has been discussing the future of Sheffield Wednesday star Marvin Johnson.

Sheffield Wednesday's squad could be set for a major overhaul in the summer transfer window.

The Owls have been able to steer clear of a relegation fight this season, but their inability to mount a serious play-off challenge when in a position to do so, has been cause for further fan frustration around Hillsborough.

Wednesday boss Danny Rohl recently admitted that some of his players weren't good enough at Championship level, saying: “If you want to improve as a club, you have to do a lot of things right in the summer, otherwise – and this is what I tell you – next season will be a big, big fight to stay in this league because we have a big group of players that are not able to play at this level – not my football. I must say this today very directly.

One of those players who could be on the Owls' chopping block this summer is veteran left-sided player, Marvin Johnson, as the £10,000-a-week man (per Capology) is set to hit the free agent market at the end of the season.

"It's a funny one" - David Prutton drops Marvin Johnson, Sheffield Wednesday future claim

Speaking exclusively with Football League World, we asked Sky Sports pundit and former player, David Prutton: 'Marvin Johnson's contract expires at Sheffield Wednesday this summer. Do you expect him to seek pastures new this summer?'

Prutton said: "Marvin Johnson at Sheffield Wednesday - it's a funny one.

"I think Marvin's been a very solid player for Wednesday, in a period of time where it has looked a little bit perilous. They obviously got themselves back into the division (Championship), and then it's about the consolidation, stepping forward, and the ambition of the club.

"The current manager and the owner are not always seeing eye to eye, previous managers not always seeing eye to eye, so you've got to rely on the players on the pitch.

"As I said, relatively consistent (Johnson). It might be time at Wednesday for a bit of a shakeup. It might be time at Wednesday for consolidation with regards to who they're paying and what level they're paying at from a monetary point of view.

"If Marvin is of a certain wage bracket, and they're looking to lower that, then it's a very straightforward one for them to let him go on a free, isn't it?

"I'm intrigued. I don't really know what Sheffield Wednesday is at the moment, and with the speculation about the manager's position as well, it could be a summer of change there."

This summer feels like the right time for Sheffield Wednesday to move on from Marvin Johnson

As Prutton says, it does feel as though Sheffield Wednesday are heading for a serious summer of change, both on and off the pitch.

At 34, Johnson is certainly one of the more senior members of the Owls squad, and if a rebuild is on the way, then perhaps youth is the way to go in many respects.

Wednesday have 27-year-old Max Lowe in the squad, who is comfortable operating as either a centre-back or at left-back, and has proven himself to be a quality defender at Championship level in the past with the likes of Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Derby County respectively.

Regardless of whether Rohl departs the club this summer or not, Wednesday have now had a taste for a play-off push in the Championship once again this season, albeit not a prolonged one.

As such, that has to be the target moving forward, and therefore, some tough decisions on good servants to the football club will have to be made, with Johnson being one of them.

There's no doubting he's been an excellent player for the Owls since his 2021 arrival, but is he still good enough if the club wish to crack the top six next season?

Perhaps if the club are planning for a relegation battle, however, then handing Johnson fresh terms on perhaps a reduced wage could be a viable option.