Sheffield Wednesday will have lingering Southampton fear after deadline day frustration | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday's underwhelming transfer deadline day will reignite fears about the future of manager Danny Rohl.

It has been a positive season so far for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, but it is fair to say that it was a disappointing January transfer window at Hillsborough.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Wednesday have made clear progress under manager Danny Rohl this campaign, and they currently sit 10th in the table, just two points from the play-off places.

Despite the Owls' lofty league position, many supporters felt that extra quality had to be added to the squad in January if they were to achieve a surprise top six finish, but they did not get the reinforcements they had hoped for.

Wednesday's transfer plans were severely disrupted by a breakdown in communication between Rohl and owner Dejphon Chansiri, and while the pair have now resolved their differences, it came a little too late to salvage their window.

The Owls brought in just two new players, with midfielder Stuart Armstrong joining from Vancouver Whitecaps and winger Ibrahim Cissoko arriving on loan from Toulouse, and after an underwhelming window, previous comments made by Rohl have come back into focus.

Rohl had long spoken of his desire to strengthen his squad in January, and speaking in December, he laid the gauntlet down to Chansiri ahead of the window, stating that the transfer business done would allow him to see which direction the club was heading in.

"My statements have been very clear for weeks and months," Rohl told The Star.

"Not all the things that I recommended are possible. Not all the things are easy in the market. In January we will see in which direction we want to go. We will try our best. Some decisions I cannot influence, I can just recommend. I think if we look back at the summer it is again the same points we have to improve and I work again. I do everything, all the decisions I make are for our success.

"At the moment I don't really know what is possible for the budget, what is possible for the players; who wants to come, who doesn't want to come. These are the questions we will try to find answers for. But for more we need extra and everybody can see this, or should see this."

The German then reiterated that stance after confirming he would be staying at Hillsborough following links with the Southampton and Hamburg jobs, insisting that the window would show him "if we really want to attack or we are just talking".

After the signings of Armstrong and Cissoko, Rohl praised his "good communication" with Chansiri and said that "he has supported me well", while he optimistically claimed that he was "positive" about the prospect of further business before the deadline, but the expected additions failed to arrive, and the 35-year-old's mood may now be significantly different.

Ongoing Southampton, Danny Rohl talk will be a big concern for Sheffield Wednesday

Given that he and Chansiri did not communicate until the middle of January, Rohl must take his share of responsibility for Wednesday's poor transfer window, but there is no doubt that much of the blame will be directed towards the owner.

The Owls are stronger after the signings of Armstrong and Cissoko, while they also managed to keep hold of on-loan midfielder Shea Charles, but the squad is still light in key areas of the pitch, particularly at centre-back and upfront, and that could be costly in their pursuit of a play-off place.

The dispute between Rohl and Chansiri is rumoured to have started in December after he was denied a move to Southampton and Rohl is said to be keen to reduce the £5 million fee needed to release him from his contract at Hillsborough – suggesting that he is open to the possibility of moving on.

The Saints instead appointed Ivan Juric as Russell Martin's successor but he has failed to make much of an impact at St Mary's and with relegation from the Premier League looking inevitable, another managerial change could be on the cards in the summer.

Juric is believed to have a break clause in his contract which can be activated if Southampton are relegated, and according to talkSPORT, there is a chance the South Coast outfit could reignite their interest in Rohl if they were to part company with the Croatian.

Rohl already has a strong connection with the Saints having previously spent time at the club as Ralph Hasenhuttl's assistant, and if he was to take over as manager, there would be no repeat of the transfer frustration he has experienced at Hillsborough over the past month given their vast financial resources.

Southampton will start next season as one of the promotion favourites in the Championship, so a return to the club would no doubt be an attractive proposition for Rohl, and Wednesday