Henrik Pedersen is gone. Now it’s time for Simon Wilson to prove himself by picking the right man to take over at Sheffield Wednesday.

The defeat to Doncaster Rovers was the final straw for both Wednesday fans and new owners. That local derby loss was the second in a week, with both coming against teams close to the bottom of the league.

The Owls acted fast, confirming that Pedersen had gone in a statement released on the club’s website. As part of the statement, Wilson said:

“Although we have accumulated points, we haven’t seen enough progress in those areas. We believe making a change now gives us the best opportunity to establish those foundations and build towards the second half of the season and beyond.”

Matt Hamshaw will take charge of the club for now, but plenty of names have been linked with being the next Sheffield Wednesday manager.

Who Could Be the Next Sheffield Wednesday Manager?

The clear favourite is Dave Challinor. The former Stockport County boss worked with Wilson at Stockport, and the pair enjoyed success during their time together. Ever since Wilson was appointed, Challinor has been linked with a move to the club.

GIVEMESPORT are reporting that Paul Heckingbottom and Dean Holden are both in contention. The two have differing careers, with Holden predominantly being an assistant manager and Heckingbottom boasting plenty of managerial experience.

The bookmakers also have Rob Edwards, Sean Dyche, and Darren Ferguson highly up their odds list.

Here’s our one-word verdict for each manager linked with Sheffield Wednesday.

Dave Challinor – Expected

It was inevitable that Challinor was linked with Wednesday. His success alongside Wilson speaks for itself, and the pair might be able to replicate that at Hillsborough.

The 51-year-old has seven promotions under his belt, mainly in non-league, but he won League Two with Stockport in the 2023/24 season.

It seems more like a when he will be appointed rather than if.

Rob Edwards – Impressive

Despite still being relatively early in his managerial career, Edwards has an impressive CV. He guided Forest Green Rovers to League One, took Luton Town to the Premier League and has managed 65 games in the top flight.

He left Wolves in June after failing to keep them in the Premier League after joining in November 2025.

Edwards would be some coup if the Owls can pull it off, and he would be a manager the club can build their project around.

Sean Dyche – Unrealistic

55-year-old Dyche has managed 350 games in the Premier League, as well as 171 games in the Championship. He feels like a really unrealistic target for the Owls because it seems unlikely he would drop to the third tier.

To show what kind of competition the Owls would face if they do want to appoint him, Dyche has been linked with the Crystal Palace job should that become available.

Paul Heckingbottom – Pass

Heckingbottom has a good CV and did play for Wednesday back in his playing days, but he has too much history with our rivals. Including games as a caretaker, he managed Sheffield United and Barnsley over 200 times combined and Leeds 16 times.

It feels like those close ties with our biggest rivals should exclude him from the running, or at least do so in our eyes.

Darren Ferguson – No

A simple no for Ferguson. He’s won promotion from League One on three occasions and has great experience, but he doesn’t feel like the right man to take Wednesday forward.

Dean Holden – Risky

Holden hasn’t got much first-team management experience, so it seems like a risky appointment to make. He’s been an assistant to several managers at various clubs, but only has 89 games under his belt as a manager.

Given the position Wednesday are in, they likely need someone with a lot more experience.