Sheffield Wednesday have announced that they’ve handed contract extensions to Joey Pelupessy, Matt Penney and Osaze Urhoghide. All three of them have extended their stay at Hillsborough by a further 12 months.
Sheffield Wednesday Renew Three Player Contracts
Joey Pelupessy
The news that Joey Pelupessy had earned a new deal was met with widespread surprise. Signed from Heracles Almelo in his native Netherlands, Pelupessy has struggled to impress in a Wednesday shirt. The defensive midfielder became Jos Luhukay’s first signing in January 2018. Since then he’s made 62 appearances for the Owls. He managed to force his way back into the team just before the season was brought to a halt, mainly due to his central midfield colleagues Kieran Lee and Massimo Luongo struggling with injury problems.
At 27, Pelupessy isn’t exactly young and many fans wonder what he brings to the team. But on the flip side, he provides cover in an area of the squad that is looking pretty bare. Sam Hutchinson and Kieran Lee always struggle with their fitness, and they’re likely to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Massimo Luongo has been fantastic when he’s been available, but he’s another player who has struggled to remain fit.
In terms of other central midfielders, youngster Connor Kirby has spent the season on loan at Macclesfield. It seems unlikely that he’ll be able to jump up to the Championship next term. Garry Monk also has a decision to make on his contract, which expires at the end of June. 20-year-old Alex Hunt has shown plenty of glimpses, so Owls fans would like to see him given a chance.
The only central midfielder that’s consistently played this season has been Barry Bannan. So that’s why the club has tied Pelupessy down. Fans will certainly be hoping for better reinforcements in that area though.
Matt Penney
It’s going to be an important year for academy graduate Matt Penney. The 22-year-old will remain on loan with Bundesliga 2 side St Pauli until the conclusion of the campaign, but he’ll start the 2020/21 season as an Owl.
The former Mansfield loanee burst onto the scene in 2018 under Jos Luhukay. Penney put in some excellent displays and won the Player of the Month in September 2018. After that, his performances started to dip after Luhukay started playing him on the left-wing and in attacking midfield. The youngster also suffered a dislocated shoulder, and couldn’t force his way back into the team.
He’s been with St Pauli since August last year, where he’s made 13 appearances under his former manager at Wednesday – Luhukay. Penney has started as a wing-back six times, four times as a left-back and once as a left-sided attacking midfielder. He’s an attacking-minded full-back with excellent delivery, so he’s pretty comfortable operating in a back four or five.
It’s an important deal for the Owls, especially since first choice left-back Morgan Fox is out of contract at the end of the month. He’s been linked with moves to Norwich City, Bournemouth, Burnley and Rangers.
Osaze Urhoghide
19-year-old defender Osaze Urhoghide joined Wednesday’s development squad last summer after being released by AFC Wimbledon. It’s fair to say his first campaign has gone better than expected, on a personal level. Urhoghide was so impressive for the Under 23s that he earned his first-team debut in the FA Cup tie at Brighton and Hove Albion in January. He enjoyed a stellar first outing, and he started in the Yorkshire derby win at Leeds the week after.
Since then, the London-born defender struggled in his limited first-team appearances. But he’s definitely one for the future, and Garry Monk will be pleased to have secured his services for another year.
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