Sheffield Wednesday's stance on Derby County targets Michael Smith and Lee Gregory clarified | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday pair Michael Smith and Lee Gregory are both targets of Derby County and now the Championship side’s stance on the duo has been made clearer by BBC Sheffield journalist Rob Staton.

The Owls have been struggling at the bottom end of the Championship all season, as they started the campaign on a long barren run.

That run cost Xisco Munoz his job, but since the arrival of Danny Rohl, things have started to look better for the Yorkshire club.

The club are still in a relegation battle, so this transfer window was an opportunity for them club to make some much-needed personal changes.

Wednesday have made a few additions, but as we close in on the deadline, it seems the talk is more about the futures of Smith and Gregory.

Derby have been linked with Sheffield Wednesday’s Michael Smith for most of this transfer window as Paul Warne eyes attacking reinforcements.

The latest report stated that the Rams had made a loan offer for the former Rotherham United man, but the Owls are demanding an excessive fee in exchange, which has put the deal on hold.

It then emerged on Tuesday from The Star that Derby have now made an enquiry to take Lee Gregory on loan for the rest of the season.

The Sheffield Wednesday striker is considered a short-term option for the club, and this report states it will likely be “one or the other” when it comes to Gregory and Smith.

However, according to the latest update from BBC Sheffield journalist Rob Staton, Smith is not available for a loan this month but fellow striker Gregory is.

He goes on to add that several clubs are looking at Gregory but the difference in Wednesday's valuation and that of the interested clubs is “sizeable”.

Therefore, it seems there is work to be done for any side that is interested in signing Gregory on loan this month.

Sheffield Wednesday’s league position

As mentioned, Sheffield Wednesday have spent most of this campaign in the bottom three of the Championship table.

Rohl’s arrival has given the club a new sense of belief, as they have gone from winning hardly any games of football to now having six wins under their belt.

The Owls currently sit in 23rd place on 22 points, three behind third from the bottom QPR and six behind Huddersfield Town, who are just above the dotted line.

Wednesday are next in action this evening as they welcome Watford to Hillsborough, looking to close the gap to the Terriers.

Sheffield Wednesday should allow Gregory to leave

Gregory did feature regularly earlier in the season but hasn't been as effective in the Championship as he was in League One.

He's barely played under Rohl and it would surely make sense for the Owls to let him leave - to get his wages off their books and bring in some sort of fee.

It seems strange that Wednesday's valuation of the forward would be significantly higher than that of the chasing clubs given he's now 35 and out of contract in the summer but the should consider dropping that to get a deal done.

He could well be effective for Derby and will surely want to be playing regularly, which isn't something that looks likely at Hillsborough.