Tony Pulis sacked by Sheffield Wednesday due to transfer window disagreement as former Barnsley boss is among contenders to succeed

The veteran manager won just one of his 10 matches in charge but the statement put out late on Monday night also cited “other reasons” for his departure.

Pulis made it abundantly clear throughout his 45-day tenure he felt the squad needed additions in the January transfer window. When asked what the prospects of funding, he regularly dodged the question, although he did stand up for Dejphon Chansiri, pointing out how heavily he had bankrolled the Owls in his five years as owner/chairman at Hillsborough.

The failure to pay the wage bill in full and on time in November raised the prospect that whatever anyone wanted, transfers may not be possible.

Clubs who do not meet their payroll obligations to the squad are placed under a transfer embargo.

Pulis admitted last week he was still looking to add to his backroom staff. Disagreements about recruitment appear to have bubbled to the surface, leading to Pulis suffering the same fate as Garry Monk, who was sacked in mid-November, although Chansiri also pointed out in the statement which announced Pulis’s sacking, “seven points from a possible 30 is not acceptable.”

Former Scarborough and York City manager and Leeds United academy coach Neil Thompson took the team for last night’s 2-1 win against Middlesbrough, just as he took training in the week between Monk’s departure and Pulis’s arrival. The search for a more permanent replacement, though, has started, with Morais and former Sunderland manager Gustavo Poyet amongst the names heavily linked. Neither was strongly-fancied when the job was vacant seven weeks ago.

Morais has managed a string of clubs in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and South Korea but his only experience of the Championship was short-lived and unsuccessful, relegated with Barnsley in 2018.

Former Brighton and Hove Albion and Sunderland manager Poyet has not managed since taking charge of Bordeaux in 2018.

One of his most notable achievements was saving Sunderland from a seemingly inevitable relegation in 2014. He took them to the League Cup final that year but in April, with his side seven points adrift of safety, navigated a route to safety.

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