Manager reacts when asked if they would sign Birmingham City’s transfer target

When asked if Sheffield Wednesday will sign Birmingham City target Ian Poveda, manager Danny Rohl said he is focused on keeping the team up.

The 24-year-old has joined the Owls on a season-long loan until the end of the season. He is on loan from Leeds United, however it has been claimed that they do not want to renew his contract this summer.

He had the option of joining Wednesday or Birmingham City at the end of January, but the Colombian international chose to play for Hillsborough. Tony Mowbray, who previously worked with Poveda at Blackburn Rovers, confirmed shortly after the window closed that he was a target for the Blues.

Wednesday and Birmingham City are directly competing to avoid relegation from the Championship. Birmingham are in the bottom three heading into the last day, and the Yorkshire club will not make any transfer preparations until they know which division they will play in next season.

Rohl told our friends at The Star, “We know these players and that they gave us quality in the second leg (half of the season). We know Ian when he played; he has a good impact, and Ike Ugbo has scored for us.”

“We will try to have a good squad together, but now we focus to Saturday and then on Sunday we can start to speak about the next step.”

Poveda has made ten appearances for Wednesday this season, assisting on one of their goals in a 2-0 victory over Birmingham in February. He has missed the last four games but could return from injury in their final game of the season, away to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. They lead Birmingham by three points but have a poorer goal difference.