'We want to be talked about': New Sheffield Wednesday sporting director Simon Wilson lays out short-term target and recruitment plan

David Storch, his son Michael and their fellow majority investor Tom Costin have said all the right things since rescuing Wednesday from the oblivion previous owner Dejphon Chansiri left them teetering on the brink of.

And they continued in that vein on Monday night at Hillsborough when all three, plus chief executive David Bruce and freshly-appointed sporting director Simon Wilson, addressed a room full of corporate backers in a hospitality suite that from next season will be known as Hirsty’s.

Those 21,000 season tickets are validation of a job well done – so far.

But with the League One fixtures due out next Thursday and appointments with Bromley and Cambridge not what American investors get involved for long-term, plus pre-season training commencing in less than two weeks, those who have backed the Owls with their future time and investment want to see a picture starting to form.

Bruce is doing that in the background by bringing back the likes of David Hirst and his fellow club legends, and by rebranding hospitality as premium experiences for next season. Plus, £6m has already been committed for upgrades to their aging Hillsborough stadium and their Middlewood Road training ground.

But fans want transfer news and targets. At which point, David Storch – sat in the middle of the five key men responsible for the rebirth of Sheffield Wednesday – passed the mic to Wilson.

“I’ve been getting going on the sly,” smiled Wilson, whose appointment was confirmed only a few hours earlier but has been in the works for weeks. At Stockport County he built a squad that Dave Challinor took from non-league to the League One play-off final.

“This opportunity, a club reborn, the energy, the alignment, everyone is together, it feels a really unique moment.”

Expanding on how he will build a squad – one that has been almost hollowed out by the Chansiri crisis – he said: “My transfer policy is about balance; you need young, exciting players, every club needs its own players coming through an academy. And there were some that came through this season, but it’s hard for them.

“You need really good senior players, aged 26-30, that can be the best players in the league. Then you need those at 20-24 who are breaking into the team. Then we need senior players, stewards of the club.

“We want to play in a way that excites the fanbase. I’ve been working with Henrik Pedersen, he was very specific about how he wants to play, which is great for me.

“But we’re an attractive club to come and play for in this moment. It’s not about finding players, it’s about choosing the right ones.

“We’re very close with a number of things, but doing a deal is hard. But the wind is in our favour, we don’t have to move people out, it’s all about bringing people in.”

Everyone from Wilson to Storch to Bruce on Monday evening was quick to point out how much work they have done so far, but keen to caveat that with how much work is still left to do.

Which is why no one bit when asked about targets, why there were no proclamations about promotion-or-bust now that they are back in League One and the 15-point penalty they looked set to be saddled with, has been wiped out.

“Yes we have momentum, but this summer might be a messy summer,” continued Wilson, “because we’re working from a basis where we’re not just adding 10 or 20 per cent to an existing strong squad, we’ve got nearly 100 per cent to do, we’ve got deadlines to meet, so it won’t be perfect.

“I think by September/October, if we’re still standing, we can create some momentum.

“We want to be talked about, we want to be exciting, a team people want to get behind. Once we get a team we’ll understand what we can do, then we’ll set targets.”

Asked the same question about targets, chief executive Bruce added: “Do as well as we can.

“Our hard objectives will become clear, but we want to be competitive, our goal is to get out of this league pretty soon.

“Football is not linear, we want to build for the medium and long term, this is not about short-term plasters. We want to do it the right way.”

They already have 21,000 people who like what they have heard so far, more will surely follow. But after this most chastening of years, when unwavering loyalties were tested like never before, that glowing endorsement will bring expectation.

“I’m here to win, we’re all here to win,” concluded Wilson.

“But this has to be a season where we build step by step. Build, and not put a ceiling on it.”