Football League World
·15 November 2024
Football League World
·15 November 2024
The 33-year-old is one of the longest-serving players at the club.
Marvin Johnson has said that he would "definitely" be up for talks with Sheffield Wednesday about extending his Hillsborough stay.
A former Premier League player in his position didn't suggest that Johnson was going to be a big part of Danny Rohl's plans this season.
The signing of fellow left wing-back option Max Lowe in the summer came as a further potential blow to his chances of regular minutes, but you don't play nearly 150 games for a club like the Owls without having the quality to play at this level.
But, you've got to give him credit, he's locked down that starting spot on Wednesday's left-hand side because of the level of his performances. The 33-year-old has started six of the club's last seven games in all competitions, and he has provided three assists across the season - two of them came in his last three league matches.
Once his current deal comes to an end, the former Sheffield United player will have spent five years at Hillsborough. But he doesn't want this season to be his last with the club.
When asked by The Star about whether he'd want to discuss a new deal with Wednesday, Johnson said: "Definitely. I’m open to it. I’m here and I’m enjoying my football with the gaffer and the coaching staff that are here. Every game, up or down, I always look back and enjoy it. We train day in day out and the things we’re doing we learn from.
"When you look around and you see other players progressing around you, you see it’s a great club to be at. But like I say, I’m just focusing on our games. We’ve all got goals this season so we need to take going game by game and my future will take care of itself."
Johnson is a well-versed Championship player. This is now his sixth season in the English second tier, but he's also got plenty of experience of playing in League One and in the Scottish Premiership. The signs of wear and tear after many years as a professional footballer aren't visible, and he has admitted that he doesn't think that he's slowing down.
"I still feel 22," claimed the 33-year-old. "I feel good, I’m not even worried about age and touch wood I’ve never had anything big injury-wise, I’ve always tried to look after myself and stay fit, long may that continue."
He understands the nature of the business at this stage of his career. Being out of contract at the end of a season is a very uncertain time for many players. Johnson believes that things will work themselves out if you put the effort in.
"Like I always have done, I just keep my head down and work hard. I know by now that if you keep performing and keep working hard then your career will always look after itself.
"If you look in terms of security it’s not always nice, but I’ve always been a big believer that if you play and perform then the rest will take care of itself. That’s a big aspect.
"You could easily be down about it or worry about it, then you underperform, then nobody is going to want you. The biggest thing is performing."
Whether or not Johnson is offered a new deal could entirely depend on the direction that Wednesday want to go with their recruitment. The signs of the summer, where they brought in no new faces that were over the age of 30, other than back-up goalkeeper Ben Hamer, would suggest that his chances of being kept on aren't great, but there is merit to the opposite.
The knowhow that a player like him brings to any team can be valuable, especially one that is trying to bring in younger players. Plus, for £10,000 per week - what Capology estimates Johnson is earning - which is a bit below their average weekly output per player, he's not an expensive option to have around.