New boss tips himself for success at Sheffield Wednesday

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Sheffield Wednesday’s new manager Jos Luhukay is confident he will not remain anonymous in English football for long.

The 54-year-old Dutchman has won promotion to the Bundesliga with three different clubs in Germany and will bid to repeat that success in England after succeeding Carlos Carvalhal.

“I’m not alone here. I will give the club the success,” the former Borussia Monchengladbach, Augsburg and Hertha Berlin boss said. “But together we must do some intensive work.

“Maybe we can some time in the future (look) to the Premier League and that is the dream. But you must have motivation for that.

“I haven’t come just to sit here. I will have success with the team and that is important.”

Carvalhal departed by mutual consent last month after a disappointing third season in charge of the club.

The Portuguese twice led the Owls to the Sky Bet Championship play-offs and Luhukay has been tasked by owner Dejphon Chansiri to “finish the job”.

Luhukay follows Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Huddersfield’s David Wagner and Norwich’s Daniel Farke into English football from Germany and accepts he will come under close scrutiny.

“Yes of course,” he said. “I’m new here and nobody knows who I am in England. So that is the challenge for me, to work hard and do a good job here. I like that.”

Wagner’s success since he arrived in Yorkshire just over three years ago has been well-chronicled in Germany, but the new Owls boss is determined to do it his way.

“I cannot speak about my colleague,” he said. “Personally I don’t have contact with him and I haven’t seen a lot of his games or how he has been working.

“I respect that he did a great job last season and now his team is playing very well in the Premier League.

“I have respect for his work and also his club, Huddersfield. They went from the Championship to the Premier League and they are doing a very good job.”

Wednesday’s play-off chances have been scuppered by a raft of injuries to key players this season and they currently sit 16th, six points above the relegation zone after winning just one of their last 10 league matches.

Luhukay acknowledged the side he has inherited is lacking confidence and targeted stability, despite Chansiri’s assertion there were still 20 games left to launch a late play-off challenge.

Wednesday take on city rivals Sheffield United on Friday in a televised baptism of fire at Bramall Lane, but Luhukay is undaunted.

“I’ve had a lot of derbies in the past,” he added. “I have a lot of passion for what will happen on Friday. Derbies are special games.”