Sheffield Wednesday have dodged a Danny Rohl bullet but Dejphon Chansiri must invest to avoid the next one - Stuart Rayner

It is not something that should perturb fans too much – not as he is still in situ – just the price on the ticket of having one of Europe's most exciting managerial properties in their dugout.

But this will not be the end of it.

When asked if staying at Hillsborough was him committing his future after a week which saw Southampton consider him as their new manager, Rohl was frustratingly enigmatic.

"Future is a big, big word but I'm here, I think everyone knows I love this club, I love the supporters, I love my team," he teased.

You only need see Rohl’s team play to understand he is not a dreamer. He is ambitious and self-confident enough to know an offer he cannot refuse might come in the future (from a club not doomed to relegation), and realistic enough to appreciate a P45 is just as possible.

Gary O’Neil was the Premier League’s best manager at Bournemouth in 2022-23, rescued Wolverhampton Wanderers from a mess of their own making in 2023-24, and still reached two sackings before 101 games. There are plenty more hard-luck stories in the Football League.

The "love" Rohl talks about is not to be ignored. He could surely have cashed in his chips in the summer and walked into a big-budget job after a brilliant first few months in management steered the Owls away from a relegation which almost felt inevitable at certain points.

In January, it is important he gets some love back.

Not from fans who sang his name loudly after Saturday's 2-0 win over Stoke City, and who bought into his methods even before results backed them up. It is is safe to assume the potential he sees to progress his career in Sheffield springs from them.

The love he needs is from the boardroom – not in the form of words, but cold, hard cash he can invest in the transfer market.

Intriguingly Southampton's interest came at a time when Rohl had already started playing transfer window politics – laying out in public how badly he wanted to loan a few high-quality players who could raise the level of his first XI, and challenging owner/chairman Dejphon Chansiri to provide them.

If Rohl's comments in Friday's pre-match press conference are any guide, he did not engineer last week to extract the assurances he clearly would have wanted.

Instead he talked of "trust", but tellingly, the same answer to a question about whether he was confident he would get what he needed next month ended in the words: "We will see."

Chansiri has hit financial troubles at Hillsborough plenty of times before so he cannot spend like no one is watching. At a time when PSR – "profit and sustainability rules" – have entered football's lexicon, no club can. But January presents an opportunity.

Where the likes of Russell Martin and Ange Postecoglou are footballing idealists, Rohl is a pragmatist. He would like to create a more attractive side, but unlike the former Southampton and current Tottenham Hotspur manager, is conscious of the limitations of his players.

The result is a well-organised, well-coached but quite functional group of flexible and interchangeable players lacking a bit of stardust. Loanees James Beadle and Shea Charles apply sparks of quality but from goalkeeper and holding midfield. For years they have looked to Barry Bannan and Josh Windass for attacking flashes but the fact they have been in the Championship so long – Bannan's loyalty even saw him dip into League One – show there are limits to it. Bannan cannot outrun Father Time much longer.

Rohl's summer signings up front, Ike Ugbo and Jamal Lowe, have been unable to outperform Michael Smith – a good striker built for direct football. Anthony Musaba and Djiedi Gassama have speed and talent but badly lack consistency.

It would not take much to nudge the Owls from mid-table to play-off contenders, and the nature of the players they want means they would have no choice but to loan rather than buy them. Someone who could do for them what Ben Doak (on loan from Liverpool) has done for Middlesbrough, or Fabio Carvalho (ditto) did for Hull City last season, or James McAtee (borrowed from Manchester City) for Sheffield United in 2022-23 could make a big difference on the platform Rohl laid.

This squad is not good enough for the top six, but the gap is only three places and three points. Play-off winners Luton Town were nine and four short on Christmas Day 2022.

Whether the Owls can make up that gap, whether they can attract those players – and a combination of Rohl's coaching, Wednesday's fanbase and league position, plus Beadle and Charles' progress means they should – is secondary to Chansiri showing the will.

Without that, keeping the ambitious 35-year-old the next time a Premier League or Bundesliga club comes calling will be harder.