'It's Enormous': Sheffield Wednesday praised for rejecting Millwall and Portsmouth transfer bids in January

Millwall and Portsmouth missed out on January transfer swoops for Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Svante Ingelsson with the struggling Owls fighting hard to keep the midfielder despite financial troubles.

Henrik Pedersen’s side became somewhat of a go-to shopping destination for Championship rivals last month with the club destined for League One next season. Millwall pinched midfield linchpin and club stalwart Barry Bannan in the most head-turning exit.

Bailey Cadamarteri was also targeted by a long list of second tier sides, including the Lions and Charlton Athletic, before eventually agreeing a Deadline Day move to Wrexham. At one point, it also looked as if Ingelsson could be on his way out of Hillsborough.

Millwall and Portsmouth fail in Sheffield Wednesday transfer bids

Millwall were reported to have seen a £300,000 bid rejected by Sheffield Wednesday with Portsmouth also claimed to have seen an offer rebuffed. On Deadline Day, it was claimed that West Brom had also launched their own enquiry with a £500,000 fee touted.

The Yorkshire outfit managed to hold onto Ingelsson, who has been at the club since arriving on a free transfer from German side Hansa Rostock in 2023. The midfielder has played 67 times for the club over the last two seasons and was described as ‘tremendous’ by The Star after his debut in a 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle.

Crann wrote: “This is one of the best Sheffield Wednesday debuts that I’ve seen in a long, long time from Svante Ingelsson. Tremendous.”

Owls praised for holding onto ‘admirable’ Svante Ingelsson

BBC Radio Sheffield reporter Rob Staton has now reflected on the transfer window for Sheffield Wednesday and looked into the club’s fight to keep hold of Ingelsson in the face of bids, which would have been tempting from a financial standpoint.

He wrote: “I also think Ingelsson is an important player to keep. Throughout this miserable season, the Swede hasn't stopped running. In a lost cause, his commitment has been admirable. He's also a good player – one who the club can rebuild around next season if things are sorted off the pitch.

“I'd argue that of all the players to keep – he was the one. He's well liked by some other Championship clubs. He's a key asset. He's a good age at 27. He can play multiple positions. It's to Wednesday's enormous benefit that he stayed. They'll need players like this.”

In other news, QPR, Millwall and Charlton Athletic could still sign these 5 Championship free agents after Deadline Day.