Sheffield Wednesday: Danny Röhl pledges to 'push' January mission - but it won't be easy for Owls

Wednesday head into this evening's clash with table-topping Leicester City bottom of the Championship table, with improved performances since the German was appointed manager not yet having returned an upturn in the results column.

A 10-point deficit on the safety spots leaves a situation that has left many Owls fans looking eagerly towards the January transfer window as an opportunity to refresh the Wednesday squad - and their survival ambitions. Röhl has spoken previously about having a 'clear vision' for the tweaks and changes he would like to make to the squad heading into the final months of the campaign.

There are eight matches to go until the opening of the window and four in January itself. The Owls boss said he has belief in the players he already has at his disposal to begin to turn their malaise around, taking solace in the progress his side has made 'between the boxes' in his time at S6.

The club are currently operating without a head of recruitment, with a process ongoing as to the next hire. Meetings have been held between Röhl and club chairman Dejphon Chansiri with regard to the window, though any indication of their intended budget or direction in the window is not known.

Even with a recruitment chief in place, winter transfer windows have notoriously been a difficult one for Wednesday and other clubs to make vast changes to their squads. Last year the Owls saw two players - loanees Mark McGuinness and Alex Mighten - leave the club, bringing in only Aden Flint as a replacement despite then-manager Darren Moore having made clear he wanted to exit the window with more players than they entered it with. Potential deals late in the window came to nothing, The Star understands.

Wednesday's squad is currently at its 25-man limit in terms of their EFL squad registration list, meaning they would need to de-register players in order to bring in new faces or add midfield man Momo Diaby to their squad.

Asked of the importance of January after Saturday's defeat at Birmingham City, Röhl told The Star: "At the moment, the next game is the important thing. I know January is an important topic, but as everybody knows, January is not easy. I have a clear idea of what I want to have in January, we will try it and I will push this topic.

"But until January I will work hard with my players here because I believe in them, I see how hard they work, I see they invest a lot in the games. This is all we can do. We must fight for every centimetre on the pitch, we can show our willingness and mentality. This is what I believe and this is all we can do at the moment."