Head of recruitment reveal hints at how Sheffield Wednesday could approach January transfer window

HIGHLIGHTS

•  Sheffield Wednesday’s new Head of Recruitment, Kevin Beadell, is likely to prioritize loan signings in the January transfer window to help the club avoid relegation.
•  Beadell’s previous experience at Cardiff City, where he had to rely on loans and free transfers due to a transfer embargo, makes him well-equipped to navigate the loan market.
•  Beadell has a proven track record of spotting talents and finding hidden gems for his previous club, and Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping he can replicate that success in their fight against relegation.

Sheffield Wednesday’s head of recruitment is a hint at how to Owls could improve their squad in the January transfer window, as they battle against relegation back to League One.

The Owls appointed Kevin Beadell as the new Head of Recruitment earlier this month, joining the club after a spell at Cardiff City. He was the Head Of First Team and Under 23s Recruitment for the Bluebirds between 2020 and 2023, but left the role in June this year before being handed the reigns at Sheffield Wednesday.

His departure was a huge shock to journalist Glenn Williams, who “only heard positive things about him and his work”.

Before he worked at Cardiff, Beadell spent time under both Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger during his spells as a scout at Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively.

The Owls brought him into the club prior to the January transfer, and with pressing issues in the squad to attend to as they look to stay in the second tier.

Kevin Beadell will likely rely on loan signings in January

It looks likely that Beadell will prioritise loan signings in the January transfer window to help The Owls stay in the Championship this season. Wednesday currently sit in the relegation zone and should be wary of dropping back down to League One in their first season back in the second division.

Journalist Alex Miller spoke to people who have worked with Beadell at his previous clubs, and they have noted that he is “canny with loans”, and reiterates that he is seen as a good person to be around.

Due to Cardiff’s transfer embargo during his time at the club, Beadell was forced to rely on loan deals and free transfers to help build the team, and his efforts helped the Bluebirds stave off relegation from the Championship in the past two seasons.

This seems likely to be repeated at Sheffield Wednesday, and his acumen in the loan market could have been one of the reasons why the Owls decided to bring Beadell to Hillsborough as their new head of recruitment.

He spotted many talents for Cardiff City in the Championship

Beadell ‘s eye for talent while at Cardiff City will be fresh in the minds of the Wednesday board when they appointment as the new Head of Recruitment, and will hope that the new man can unearth some more hidden gems to help the club in their fight against the drop.

Under his stewardship, the Bluebirds were limited to loans and free transfers for a significant portion of Beadell’s time at the club, forcing him to get creative when finding new talent to join the squad of a side hoping to challenge for the play-offs each season.

Players who were out of favour at their clubs were brought in on temporary deals to become first team stars at Cardiff, with the likes of Ryan Giles, Jaden Philogene and Sory Kaba proving successful loan signings.

Meanwhile, he managed to secure a number of free transfers for players like Jamilu Collins and Ryan Wintle who have become key players for the Bluebirds this season.

If Beadell can continue his work with Sheffield Wednesday in January to the same level, the Owls have a better chance at staying in the Championship than they did before his appointment.