Everybody loses in Sheffield Wednesday’s ludicrous handling of Marvin Johnson debacle

Sheffield Wednesday have a player so clearly out of favour under their new manager that he was never likely to be included in their EFL squad registration list once the realisation dropped that they had too many senior players to fit inside the 25-man limit.

When the list was confirmed on Thursday evening and the player wasn’t included as expected, it served as something of a full-stop on any chance of him forcing his way back into the fold barring something unforeseen.

The player, 32-year-old Marvin Johnson, is now inelegible to play for Wednesday. There’s a spot left open on the list - the injured Momo Diaby also misses out alongside defender Ciaran Brennan - but what felt like a longshot way back in has now been put in writing.

It’s happened before and it’ll happen again; players fall out of favour at clubs and from time to time face the ignominy of being left off registration lists.

What doesn’t happen quite so often is for a club to have an opportunity to shift that player onto another club on deadline day, only for the deal not to take place.

In the final hours of deadline day, The Star, BBC Sheffield and outlets in Derbyshire reported that Johnson was the subject of very real loan interest in the left wing-back. Negotiations were entered into and it seemed an easy win for all parties.

Both The Star ad BBC Sheffield later reported issues with the financial wranglings of a potential deal as time grew on. The deal duly collapsed and Johnson remains a Wednesday player - on the training pitch only.

BBC Sheffield went as far as to report that Wednesday had demanded a loan fee for Johnson, and then full payment of his unknown wages.

Surely an agreement could have been reached closer to Derby’s valuation or capability? One that would have that would have moved on a figure unsettled and now effectively without use? One that would have saved Wednesday from pouring money down the drain?

Derby are reported to have made a ‘strong offer’, but had they or any other club offered even a fairly paltry contribution to Johnson’s wages, that would have been a win for all parties, wouldn’t it?

We may not get a clear, public-facing answer on why such a key figure in Wednesday’s League One success over the past two seasons has been left out of every competitive squad of the Xisco era. That’s the prerogative of Sheffield Wednesday and Marvin Johnson.

For now, rumour reigns supreme.

But what is crystal clear is that Sheffield Wednesday are paying ‘senior player money’ out to a man who by every indication won’t kick a ball for them while Xisco is at the club.

Maybe there’s more to it. Maybe he’ll be registered and will set upon a comeback Christ-like in its unlikelihood and assist Wednesday to Championship success.

For now, it looks like ludicrous mismanagement of Wednesday resources.