Forward thinking for Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk

Having kept clean sheets in their first four matches – Fulham and Bristol City breached them twice each last week – the Owls have made a good start defensively but Paterson joined from Cardiff City because of concerns at the other end, where four goals have also been scored, all away from home.

Monk would still like to add to a pool of strikers decimated in the summer, but says deals are being done and targets drawn up on a “one-at-a-time” basis. Equally, though, he is unaware of offers for defender Dominic Iorfa.

Paterson, who is likely to make his debut at home to Queens Park Rangers tomorrow, started his career as a Heart of Midlothian right-back, was a central midfielder in his early days at Cardiff and joins Wednesday as a centre-forward.

Hours before Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa spoke about favouring versatile players, Monk explained he likes players to specialise.

“I think it’s important for players to have a focus on a specific position, a main objective,” he argued. “I think that’s where players work their best when they are comfortable and happy with that position.

“Knowing they can potentially fill other positions to a good level is great to have as a manager (but) I always try and focus the players on trying to compete for one position especially because I think that gets the better response.

“But if they are players that can be versatile we’re going to need that this season. Having players that can do that is an advantage and a safety net.”

The Owls have lost Steven Fletcher, Fernando Forestieri, Atdhe Nuhiu, Sam Winnall and loanee Connor Wickham since last season, and although Elias Kachunga and Josh Windass have signed, both are more second strikers rather than a target man like Scotland forward Paterson. Monk thinks the 25-year-old offers more than that, though.

“Coming into the summer and seeing where the squad was and what was needed, he’s been on our radar,” he said.

“Especially with the (financial) restrictions we have it’s been good business for the club. He’s a good age, an international, a good profile, he’s hungry. He’ll add to everything.

“There’s no guarantees on any player you ever bring to a football club but the tick-boxes and limiting the risk are important. That gives us more confidence.

“He’s a great guy, hard working, exactly the sort of attitude we want and fits into the squad we’ve got.

“We weren’t the only team after these players (signed this summer) and the fact that they’re here says a lot about them. He’s another one who could quite easily be put off by our situation.”

With their back five providing a solid foundation, the challenge is adding goals as the Owls look to whittle away at a Championship points tally which now stands at minus eight after their punishment for breaching financial fair play rules.

“Even though it’s been a shorter pre-season, having my staff with me has allowed me to go into more detail and spend more time with that foundation as well as trying to build the other (attacking) side of it,” said Monk, who recruited coaches James Beattie, Darryl Flahavan and Sean Rush this summer.

“We’ve managed to do a lot of specific work on what can help the defensive balance and the unit, and spend a bit more specific time on specific things I maybe couldn’t do last season.

“That’s maybe benefiting the defenders and the team right now but I can still see things that could really improve from the defensive side and offensively we know there are improvements to be made but we’re creating chances, we’re in positions where already we could probably have more (goals).

“We just need to continue in that way and keep trying to improve whilst getting results.”

A two-week international break after the QPR game should help.

“As a manager I look at international breaks as an opportunity to get some really good work in, work we probably haven’t been able to do until this week because we’ve had games every two or three days,” he said.

Monk will also go back to the board and see if he can make further signings with Wednesday’s resources further hit by the Government U-turn on allowing fans back into stadia this week.

“As a manager you want to add as much quality as you can get,” he said. “It’s a one-at-a-time sort of process, that’s how we’ve worked.

“We need to add but whether we can or not is another thing. I have to accept that, we all do.”

Asked about reports an unnamed Premier League club and Watford are looking at 25-year-old Iorfa he said: “I’ve heard nothing from the club on that.”

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James Mitchinson