Irvine calls on his Owls to stay and repair the damage

Striker Marcus Tudgay, goalkeeper Lee Grant and defender Mark Beevers all have admirers in the Championship and may attract fresh interest following the club's relegation to League One.

The Owls, meanwhile, are still reeling from the resignation of chairman Lee Strafford and the collapse of a proposed 20m takeover deal by American investors Club 9 Sports.

Irvine said: "I have not had a phone call from any player saying they want to go – and I would be disappointed if I did. We are all responsible for what happened last season and we should all want to go out next season and put it right.

"I want to keep all of them, I don't want any of them to leave," he stressed. "If offers do come in, I hope we don't sell anyone cheaply.

"I look at the squad we have now – it is very small – but if we go into the season with those players as a base and a number of others added, I think we would have a competitive League One squad."

Irvine has expressed shock and sadness at Strafford's resignation but welcomed the appointment of former manager Howard Wilkinson as interim chairman.

"I know how much time Lee has devoted to sorting things, he has worked extremely hard, and I have thanked him for all his help," said Irvine.

"I was shocked and disappointed by the news. I attended a board meeting on Friday afternoon and, when I left, Lee was still chairman."

Irvine, who wants a minimum of six new players, is now seeking clarity over his spending budget but feels Wilkinson's experience will be valuable in helping with transfer negotiations.

"Getting Howard in will be extremely beneficial at this particular time," he added. "It would be madness of me not to use his knowledge.

"I don't know many other chairman who have also been successful managers.

"As yet, I don't know what my budget will be this summer, I am still waiting to be told. The better the budget, the better chance you have.

"Many people are saying that this is now 'my opportunity' to bring in my own players and build my team. Well, that would be the case if we had a budget that allowed me to do that, the chances are there will need to be compromise.

"There won't be enough money to bring in the players I would like to bring in, to build a squad and a style of play that I would ideally want.

"But we have to be realistic. Clubs have got into a great deal of difficulty because they have not managed their finances properly. I don't think Sheffield Wednesday fans would want to see us getting into financial difficulties."

Irvine confirmed his interest in Preston North End defender Eddie Nolan, who finished last season on loan at Hillsborough.

Loss of Championship status is fans' big concern: Page 22