Sheffield Wednesday have been in dire straits for several months, but that has not stopped the Owls from appointing a highly-rated former Manchester City coach.
The Owls have suffered both on and off the pitch lately, with EFL embargoes and a summer exodus all coming over recent months.
Sheffield Wednesday fans will protest against Dejphon Chansiri on Saturday during their home clash against Bristol City, with matters at boardroom level dominating despite the Owls’ poor start to the season.
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After he was appointed as Danny Rohl’s permanent successor in the summer, Henrik Pedersen has seen his depleted Sheffield Wednesday register just one point from their opening four Championship fixtures.
However, some rare positive news came with Sheffield Wednesday’s appointment of Craig Mudd, and Pedersen has explained how the Owls managed to attract the coach from Manchester City despite the ongoing club crisis.
Henrik Pedersen during Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday - Carabao Cup First Round
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
How Sheffield Wednesday attracted Craig Mudd from Man City
After Sheffield Wednesday were linked with Mudd, his appointment, which was announced this week, led to an elated reaction on social media from the Owls faithful.
Mudd had previously worked at Man City for over a decade, most recently as an assistant in the club’s Under-21s team since 2022.
His appointment is a massive coup for Sheffield Wednesday, considering Mudd worked alongside City boss Pep Guardiola at the Club World Cup.
Now, Pedersen has given a short but sweet answer when asked how Sheffield Wednesday got Mudd to join from the serial champions despite the ongoing Chansiri-induced crisis.
Pedersen told Sheffield Star reporter Joe Crann: “It’s not difficult, we are Sheffield Wednesday.
“I think we have players from big clubs who want to come here. We are Sheffield Wednesday. We are an interesting address.
“I know a lot has happened, but we are still an interesting address from the football side.
“And that we have really, really good young talents who want to come here. And we have some big clubs who have to believe that it can be the right place for them to come here. It’s a big trust.
“And that we have Muddy, who wants to come here from a very good job in Man City is also a big trust.
“Because we’re Sheffield Wednesday…”
Here’s my full chat with Henrik Pedersen today, where we talked about getting a coach to leave Manchester City for Sheffield Wednesday, and how pleased he’s been with Manchester United’s Harry Amass. #SWFC 🦉⚽️ pic.twitter.com/dqBarhOWoI
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) September 11, 2025
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“But, we don’t have to make ourselves small only because we have a difficult situation. Because we are Sheffield Wednesday.
“And for Muddy, it’s a win for us. But I also think it can be a fantastic experience for Muddy to come here.
“So, we are in a difficult situation, but we don’t have to make ourselves small.”
Chris Powell, the Sheffield Wednesday Assistant Coach
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Sheffield Wednesday needed new number two after Chris Powell exit
Rohl’s assistant Chris Powell left Sheffield Wednesday this summer alongside the German after two seasons of service for the Owls.
Powell loved Sheffield Wednesday, and that feeling towards the former England international was reciprocated by the Owls fanbase.
The Owls have bolstered their backroom team with the addition of Craig Mudd.
The highly-regarded coach joins Henrik Pedersen’s technical staff with immediate effect.
Welcome to the Owls, Craig 🤝
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) September 11, 2025
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Mudd will be in the dugout this weekend when Sheffield Wednesday face Bristol City as Pedersen’s side desperately search for their first win of the season.
After Mudd’s appointment, Pedersen told Sheffield Wednesday’s website that he is an “excellent coach” who is “very strong with the methodology and tactically he understands how we want to play football.”
The former Man City and Leeds United academy coach will need to be exactly that, and much more, to help Pedersen steer Sheffield Wednesday to safety from relegation to League One in their first season on the touchline together.