Sheffield Wednesday hold talks with former Hearts star over contract with star 'eager' to be with Owls
The star formerly of Hearts has interest from a side currently embroiled in turmoil
Sheffield Wednesday are said to be keen on striking a deal with one favourite of the Hearts support.
The Owls are in the English Championship but their summer has been plagued by off the field issues. Controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri has found himself being criticised on several fronts amid financial instability which has resulted in late payments to players and HMRC. Sheffield Wednesday were then slapped with a registration embargo due to financial irregularities and their debts.
They were also banned from signing new players for a transfer fee for the next three windows until January 2027 and talk of takeovers have failed to come to fruition. That has them turning to youngsters or stars who featured last season, one of which is former Hearts man Callum Paterson.
Sheffield Wednesday future update on former Hearts ace
According to The Star, the versatile player is keen on staying at Sheffield Wednesday but had rejected their initial offer amid the ongoing crisis. Talks are now kicking off again in the hope of coming to a resolution. Patterson has played 186 times for the Owls with 31 goals and 15 assists across a number of positions since joining from Cardiff City in 2020.
Reporting states: “Sheffield Wednesday are believed to have had conversations in an attempt to get Callum Paterson back in the building at S6. The Scot had rejected an initial contract offer at Wednesday and, after no further contact was made, had decided to continue assessing his numerous options elsewhere, with the 30-year-old having interest from England in both the Championship and League One, as well as overseas.
“Paterson, who became a very popular figure during his time with the Owls, hasn’t been training with the club since then after they made no attempt to continue negotiations, but it’s now understood that they’re keen to open up discussions once again – if they can get their embargo, and wage cap that comes with it, lifted. It’s always been of the understanding that ‘Pato’ was eager to stay with the Owls, with the versatile former Cardiff City man having spoken publicly about how much he’s loved his time at Hillsborough, and the recent events surrounding the club may give him a chance to make that possible.”
What Callum Paterson has said about Hearts
Paterson started his career at Hearts, playing 162 times with 39 goals and 31 assists while endearing himself to the maroon faithful before joining Cardiff City. Speaking in 2023 about the Jambos when interest in bringing him back to Gorgie from Sheffield Wednesday emerged as a possibility, the star capped 17 times by Scotland said: “Hearts were in for me and it was pretty well-documented. But it wasn't meant to be and that was that.
“I'm interested in anything and as long as someone has a respectful opinion then I'll treat it with respect. It's a club that I'll always have close to my heart. They gave me my debut and I played so many games for them but it just wasn't to be at the time but hopefully in the future at some point, maybe.”