By the beginning of the following season, the 32-year-old will no longer be playing at Hillsborough. He was discharged by Wednesday, along with six of his teammates.
The Owls announced their selections to supporters on Thursday night, far in advance of the deadline of Saturday, when they were supposed to publish their retained/released list.
Other prominent figures that will leave the team this summer as free agents include Mallik Wilks, Marvin Johnson, Pol Valentin, and Stuart Armstrong. Wednesday decided to activate an additional one-year option on the contracts of Anthony Musaba, Michael Smith, and Josh Windass in order to prolong their stays. New contracts have been offered to Callum Patterson, Akin Famewo, and Barry Bannan.
Michael Ihiekwe attracting League One interest
When players sign contracts with the team, Wednesday makes it a point to keep their terms a secret, leaving fans wondering who might stay and who might leave. Ihiekwe was expected to depart the club, according to a story in The Star shortly before the retained/released list was made public, but he will have many admirers this summer.
According to The Star, several third-tier teams are interested in signing the promotion-winning defender.
Ihiekwe struggled to make Danny Rohl’s starting lineup, therefore he was put available for transfer in the January window. However, he ended the season in a much better manner, earning a nomination for the Championship’s Player of the Month award in March.
The future of Wednesday’s manager is also rather doubtful. He must have been involved, considering the retained/released list was published. However, he has thrown a number of indications which hinted that, like Ihiekwe, he won’t be at Hillsborough when the 2025/26 campaign gets underway.
Michael Ihiekwe’s League One promotion credentials validate the interest in him
No matter what level you are at, it is crucial to have players who have been there and done it, despite the fact that some people may find that phrase offensive. The thirty-two-year-old has already been promoted to the Championship three times.
Of course, there are other reasons why third-tier teams are interested in signing Ihiekwe outside his winning record at the level. That Championship Player of the Month nomination indicates that there is still a lot of talent left in him, despite the fact that he is approaching the end of his playing days.
For him, a level drop also makes a lot of sense. Instead of being in and out of the lineup like he has been for the last two seasons, he will return to being one of the defensive line’s important players.
| Michael Ihiekwe’s Sheffield Wednesday game time (2023/24 & 2024/25) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | Starts | Minutes per game | |
| 2023/24 | 26 | 22 | 74 |
| 2024/25 | 22 | 20 | 83 |
| Source: Sofascore – stats taken from Championship appearances only | |||
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