Sheffield Wednesday not a selling club as Carlos Carvalhal eyes new recruits

The Owls head coach’s overwhelming priority is to bring in two central defenders before the new Championship season kicks off on August 5 with a trip to Preston North End.

But speculation continues to link Keiren Westwood, Tom Lees and Liam Palmer with possible moves away from Hillsborough.

Carvalhal said: “If any club asks for a player from our club, it is not in my hands. But what I know is we are not planning on selling players.

“I have said to the chairman don’t sell any players since I have arrived at Sheffield Wednesday. I have said all the time, ‘If you want to sell someone we can sell and after we must achieve a player to cover the position’. That is my job. It is my work.

“Of course, sometimes it is good for the club. But so far it is the opposite. The chairman has all the time said he doesn’t want to sell any player.”

Wednesday have just two central defenders on their books, Lees and Glenn Loovens.

On Tuesday night, left-back Daniel Pudil partnered Lees at the heart of the back four due to Loovens being unavailable and Carvalhal is keen to bolster his defensive resources amid suggestions Newcastle United’s Grant Hanley is very much on the club’s ‘wanted’ list.

“Everyone knows that we need two centre-halves,” added the Portuguese. “But it is not easy to bring in players at the level of our team. Everything is very expensive and we try to do our best. Let’s see what the next few days bring.”