Next Sheffield Wednesday Manager Odds: Four candidates to replace Darren Moore

After the shock news that Sheffield Wednesday parted company with manager Darren Moore, EFL pundit Gab Sutton picks out four candidates who could replace him at Hillsborough…

Carlos Carvalhal

Following the glamour era of the 1990s, the last 23 years have been largely disappointing for a club of Sheffield Wednesday’s stature.

In that time, arguably the only manager who gave the Owls a feeling that they were “on their way back” to rediscovering former glories was Carlos Carvalhal, who delivered the most exciting season in the club’s modest history in 2015/16.

In a season of free-flowing football and fine individual strikes, Barry Bannan and Fernando Forestieri lit up Hillsborough under Carvalhal, who guided them to a Play-Off Final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Hull.

After that, though, things went a little stale, although the Steel City club did reach the Play-Offs the following season with less flair and panache.

From the summer of 2016, Dejphon Chansiri sought an agent-led approach to recruitment, and did the bulk of his dealings through Amadou Paixao, at the expense of signing the players Carvalhal wanted.

Poor recruitment caught up with Wednesday in 2017/18, and Carvalhal left on Christmas Eve with the team 15th, where they ultimately finished under Jos Luhukay.

The Portuguese boss’ relations with supporters soured towards the end of his tenure, so while his record on paper is far better than anyone at Wednesday has delivered this century, it wouldn’t exactly be a hero's return.

Torsten Lieberknecht

Torsten Lieberknecht had 10 successful years at Eintracht Braunschweig, who had only just won promotion to 3. Liga when he took charge in 2008 - having played regional football previously - and were in danger of relegation back to the fourth tier.

Five years of continual improvement and two promotions saw Lieberknecht take Braunschweig into the Bundesliga, playing at that level for the first time in 28 years, but they didn’t have the resources and suffered relegation (though they beat high-flyers Wolfsberg and Bayer Leverkusen along the way), then spent a few years in the upper part of the 2. Bundesliga.

Back in 2013, Lieberknecht drew praise for his approach from then-Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, his teammate at Mainz in the 1990s:

“The tactical idea comes directly from the (former Mainz boss) Wolfgang Frank School. His team wants to work hard against the ball and, after that, always be creative in attack.”

Lieberknecht is cut from the same cloth as Klopp, only hasn’t had the same success in management: a difficult stint at MSV Duisberg, but led Darmstadt 98 to promotion from the 2. Bundesliga last season.

However, the big concern would be that if Lieberknecht has a footballing philosophy aligned with Klopp, he wouldn’t inherit a Sheffield Wednesday squad suited to carrying it out, with what is likely to be one of the oldest squads in the Championship.

Of course, the 49-year-old could recruit for his style, yet Darren Moore left over disagreements over transfer policy, which suggests the scope is limited and the next manager will have to work with what they have, which isn’t a super energetic group suited to play relentless, high-pressing football.

Nathan Jones

Can he succeed anywhere other than Luton? That’s the big question over Nathan Jones.

The fiery Welshman has been an unquestionably huge part of the Hatters’ rise, winning promotion with them from League Two, laying foundations for promotion from League One, and guiding them to the Championship Play-Offs in a tenure of continuous progression.

However, both times Jones has left Kenilworth Road - for Stoke in 2018 and for Southampton last season - results have left much to be desired, while Town initially improved in both cases, under Mick Harford and Rob Edwards respectively.

Jones would certainly bring different qualities to the dugout to Darren Moore: less gentle, less likely to clap along with ‘hi-ho Sheffield Wednesday’ pre-match, more brisk, businesslike and relentless.

Plus, Jones has shown tactical flexibility to build a possession-heavy diamond system with Luton, most notably in League One, but then a more direct, crossing template in the Championship, which shows he can adapt to his resources.

The 50-year-old may be keen to bring back the diamond midfield he used at Luton, only into a wing-back template established by Darren Moore.

The image below is a theoretical look at how his Wednesday side might look in 2023/24, if James Trafford, Axel Tuanzebe, Auston Trusty, James Bree, Panutche Camara and Reda Khadra all signed.

Michael Duff

Michael Duff has also been linked with the vacant Swansea position, with Russ Martin set for Southampton.

The Northern Irishman has only known progress or success in his five years of management so far, taking over a Cheltenham side struggling at the bottom of League Two, and leading them to safety, the Play-Offs the following season, then their first ever EFL title, then their highest ever finish.

At Barnsley, meanwhile, he inherited a club that was in a low point after relegation last season, and transformed the culture at the club, settled on a clear style of football - to the point where there are combinations and relationships right the way through the team - changed the mood around the place, and led them to a Play-Off Final.

Duff’s record is outstanding, and if he was managing in Germany, where good managers are headhunted earlier, he’d probably be managing in the Europa League by this stage.

There’s no appointment the Owls could make that would not make the parting of company with Darren Moore incredibly sad, regardless of the reasons for it, but from a ruthless lens, Duff would be arguably an upgrade.

The image below is a look at how Wednesday could line-up if Duff were to be appointed, with Trafford, Mads Andersen, Liam Kitching, Luca Connell, Josh Key, Zach Ashworth and Alfie May coming in. 

Verdict

Bringing Carvalhal back would be a mistake, and it’s plausible that Lieberknecht’s style wouldn’t suit the squad, so the best picks would be Jones and Duff.

The latter would be my selection, and is available to back at 20/1 with William Hill.