Arsenal legend sends 11-word message to Danny Rohl as Sheffield Wednesday boss leaves ITV role

Former Arsenal and Crystal Palace forward Ian Wright has wished Danny Rohl ‘all the best’ for next season after the Sheffield Wednesday manager’s summer punditry gig came to an end.

Rohl has been on television screens up and down the country after joining ITV for the first week of this summer’s European Championships in his home country, Germany. The Wednesday boss has been one of the most insightful analysts throughout, with supporters of teams across the footballing pyramid coming to enjoy his knowledge of the game and good humour.

But with pre-season approaching and summer transfer plans to carry out, the 34-year-old’s time in Germany was limited and Portugal’s 3-0 win over Turkey on Saturday was his final game for ITV. In an Instagram post before the game, Rohl wrote: “One more game and my fabulous week @itvsport is over. Thank you very much for the warm welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you and to be part of the @euro2024. I’m looking forward to my last game with you.”

And among the many comments was fellow pundit Wright, who replied: “Been a pleasure Danny. All the best for the season ahead.”

While Rohl will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on Euro 2024 from back in South Yorkshire - his Germany side finished top of Group A with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Monday - the Owls boss will now focus on preparing for another long and gruelling Championship season. Wednesday have already been active in the transfer market, with Yan Valery confirmed as the third arrival late last week.

Wednesday agreed an undisclosed fee with Angers for the right-back, who worked with Rohl at Southampton. Valery will be joined by Ben Hamer and Max Lowe next month, with the pair leaving Watford and Sheffield United respectively as free agents.

Pre-season is not far away and there will be plenty for Rohl to get his teeth into once he’s back in the United Kingdom. And the German won’t have long to rest up before welcoming players back, confirming on Saturday that summer testing is not far off.

“We will start next Friday, the pre-season, the testing, and hopefully the players are working hard in the pre-season and are fit,” he told ITV after Saturday’s game. “We have to test everything. It’s about running, it’s about the medical check that they are ready for the pre-season. We have to work hard in the next six weeks to be ready for the next season. I am really looking forward to this and hopefully it’s going well.”

Having survived on the final day of last season, Wednesday will be keen to build on the optimism and climb up the Championship under Rohl, who has been hugely impressive since taking over at Hillsborough in October. The Owls will learn of their opening-weekend opponents when the English Football League (EFL) fixtures are released at 9am on Wednesday.