Sheffield Wednesday head coach Henrik Pedersen has confirmed that the club is set to lose another key first-team player, with Yan Valery on his way out of Hillsborough. The departure represents yet another setback for the Owls, who have already seen a number of senior figures leave over the past year.
Valery is expected to join Swiss side Young Boys on a loan deal that will run until the end of the season. The move was initially reported over the weekend and has now been officially acknowledged by Pedersen, who admitted the transfer came together extremely quickly. The Tunisian international was absent from Wednesday’s heavy 4–0 defeat to Swansea City, alongside Svante Ingelsson. While Ingelsson’s omission was due to personal reasons and he is expected to return for the upcoming match against Millwall, Valery’s absence was directly linked to his imminent exit.
Speaking about the situation, Pedersen did not hide his disappointment at losing such an important member of his squad. He described Valery as one of the team’s standout performers and admitted that his departure is a major blow. According to the Wednesday boss, the move emerged suddenly and progressed at speed, leaving little time for the club to react. Losing both Valery and Ingelsson so close to the final training session before the Swansea match made preparations even more difficult, although Pedersen stressed that the circumstances also created opportunities for other players to step in.
Pedersen reiterated that, despite the disruption, the squad must adapt and continue working with the players who remain available. He acknowledged the challenge of losing top-level talent but made it clear that the club has no choice but to move forward under the current conditions.
In a separate interview with BBC Radio Sheffield, Pedersen provided further insight into Valery’s decision. He praised the defender’s quality and admitted it was especially frustrating to lose him after the transfer window had closed, when replacing him becomes far more complicated. However, Pedersen explained that Valery was keen to make the move, and once a player’s mind is made up, there is little a club can do beyond trying to manage the situation as effectively as possible.
While there had been previous interest in Valery, Pedersen revealed that nothing had materialised until very recently. The deal only became concrete on the morning before his comments, and from that point it progressed rapidly.
Sheffield Wednesday are next in action against Millwall on Saturday afternoon, and an official announcement confirming Valery’s loan move to Bern is expected well before Barry Bannan makes his return to Hillsborough.
