Danny Rohl says leaving Sheffield Wednesday 'never in my mind' as he signs contract extension

The news is huge coup for the Owls after the 35-year-old German identified himself as one of the most exciting managerial talents around in his first time in charge of a senior team.

In announcing the news, the Championship club simply referred to a "long-term contract", but he is believed to have committed until the summer of 2027.

Rohl was already under contract until next summer but the job he did put him in an extremely strong negotiating position to leverage changes on and off the field to build on saving the Owls from a relegation looking increasingly inevitable even when he arrived in October 2023.

The ripple effect of the number of post-season managerial changes in the Premier League – more in the first few days after the campaign than the whole of it – left Wednesday vulnerable but the mutual adoration between Rohl and the supporters was clear.

"This is a fantastic club that has taken me to heart and I feel exactly the same way," he said.

“It was never in my mind to be anywhere else but Hillsborough. I feel at home here, the fans have been incredible, they have shown myself and my staff nothing but kindness since the first day.

“The way we finished last season was amazing, so much hard work came to fruition but we do not stop here. We must continue to show the same effort levels and desire for the future, the chairman is ambitious, I am ambitious and our fantastic supporters are.”

Improving the Middlewood Road training ground is likely to have featured prominently in talks, and it is thought his buyout clause may have been lowered.

Rohl interviewed for the job last summer but chairman Dejphon Chansiri preferred ex-Watford coach Xisco Munoz over Rohl, who had been on the coaching staffs of Southampton, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Germany but had yet to dip his toe in management.

Munoz was sacked after 10 league matches yielded just two points, extended to three by caretaker manager Neil Thompson.

It was the worst start in Owls’ league history, and a tally no club had survived Championship relegation with after 11 games.

Rohl lost five of his first six games but fans recognised the improvement.

“The impact he made was immediate and was the foundation for preserving our place in the Championship,” said Chansiri.

A 1-1 draw against Leicester City on November 29 kick-started them. Had the Championship begun that morning, Wednesday would have finished sixth.