Sheffield Wednesday youngster Will Grainger made his first senior start for the club against West Bromwich Albion in Saturday’s season finale.
Manager Henrik Pedersen has confirmed tying Will Grainger down to a first professional contract is a leading objective, insisting Sheffield Wednesday is the perfect place for him to continue his development.
A week on from scoring his first goal of his senior career after coming off the bench in Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium, Grainger secured his first start for his boyhood club against West Bromwich Albion at Hillsborough on Saturday.
Despite it prematurely coming to an end 55 minutes in due to suspected cramp, the Wales youth international, who made eight appearances for the Owls this season, demonstrated what he brings to the table.
The teenager, who does not turn 18 until November, is widely considered as Wednesday’s most exciting youngster, meaning the club will be determined to get him tied down to a long-term contract following the completion of Arise Capital Partners LLC’s takeover at Hillsborough.
Asked if tying Grainger down to a first professional contract is a leading objective this summer, Pedersen told The Star: “Yes, of course it is. But I don’t think Will can get a better club right now for him than Sheffield Wednesday.
“He has people who trust him, and he has people who can develop him as a football player, as a human, so I think we have a very good match.”
Grainger, who has earned comparisons with former Wednesday forward Josh Windass in recent weeks, enjoyed an impressive season at youth level, sparking countless calls for Pedersen to give him more opportunities in the first-team.
The Owls boss had to rely on Wednesday’s youngsters more than he could have possibly ever imagined this season due to the situation the club found itself in, and developing players from within is part of his blueprint to help take the Owls forward under the new regime, highlighting the importance of developing young talent to improve the club’s business model.
Pedersen continued: “I’m from a Red Bull system where we know we have to find the next talent, we have to develop the next talent, we have to integrate the next talent to the first-team, we have to make him good, we have to make him effective here so we can make results and we can sell.
“Then we can find the next talent, we can rebuild, and we can let the club grow step by step.
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