EFL pundit Callum Fowler believes that Sheffield Wednesday should sack manager Henrik Pedersen and replace him with former Stockport County manager Dave Challinor.
The South Yorkshire outfit have been amongst the busiest League One clubs in the summer transfer window, and there was an expected sense of optimism amongst Owls supporters upon their return to the third tier after a dismal 2025/26 campaign in the Championship.
Goals from Callum Slattery and Jamal Lowe saw Wednesday over the line in their league opener away at Leyton Orient, but they failed to add to their points tally when welcoming Bradford to Hillsborough on Thursday night.
The hosts were unable to respond to Aden Baldwin's goal in the opening stages of the second half, despite notching more shots and finishing the contest with a higher expected goals tally.
Fowler -- who was critical of Wednesday's home performance in Gameweek 2 -- feels that the club need to part ways with Pedersen if they are going to succeed in the 2026/27 season.
Speaking with co-host Tom Garratt on The Pyramid Podcast, Fowler said: "Wednesday were good for 10 minutes. They could have wrapped it up in the first 10, but then they did nothing after I don't think.
"I thought Bradford were the better team. I'm telling you right now, if they sack him (Pedersen) and get Stockport's (former manager) in -- (Dave) Challinor -- they'll get top six definitely."
When questioned by Garratt on if he thinks that it is Pedersen who is the issue at Hillsborough, he responded: "100%, he's rubbish."
It was near impossible to evaluate Pedersen's credentials in a 2025/26 term where the Owls were significantly hindered by point deductions and a dire financial situation, but the team are well placed to impress this season and so a series of bad results could put the manager's position at risk.
Former Stockport County gaffer Challinor, who Fowler has pinpointed as the ideal successor to Pedersen at Wednesday, is out of a job after mutually parting ways with the Greater Manchester outfit in June following the club's League One play-off final loss to Bolton.
He enjoyed a remarkable spell at Edgeley Park and is highly thought of in the managerial scene after leading County from the National League to the third division of English football.
Reports linking Challinor to the Sheffield Wednesday managerial hotseat date back to June, and few would be surprised to see them intensify if Wednesday don't bounce back from their Bradford defeat.
