Rotherham United boss Steve Evans has admitted his side are struggling to agree a deal with Sheffield Wednesday for striker, Mallik Wilks.
Rotherham United is interested in bringing the Leeds United academy graduate from Sheffield to the New York Stadium.
If he did join the Millers, he’d be the third player to go directly from Wednesday to Rotherham United this summer. Cameron Dawson and Reece James left the Owls this summer and made the short trip to Rotherham to sign for the League One club.
What did Steve Evans say in his press conference?
In his recent press conference, Evans was asked about a possible deal for Wilks and said:
“Yeah, we like Mallik a lot.
“Probably at the minute we can’t afford his left boot, never mind his right boot. It just seems to be a breakdown in communications. We can’t seem to get a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’. We get a ‘Well, can you do this? Maybe, maybe not.
“The negotiations are at Rob Scott (director of football recruitment) level. I’d have probably thrown my dummy out and walked away had it been me. That’s why Rob does what he does. Mallik is a player we like. There are two or three players in that role that he plays that we like too. It will be a case that if one of them lands then we have a decision to make on an order of preference.”
How did Wilks perform last season?
Wilks struggled to cement a place in Sheffield Wednesday’s squad last season. He didn’t play at all in the first eight games, featuring only as a substitute against Southampton on the opening day.
Wilks did begin to feature when Xisco departed Hillsborough, but again dropped out of the squad under Danny Rohl. He rejoined the squad in the New Year but didn’t make the squad for any of the final seven games.
In total, Wilks played 15 games for the Owls last season, starting just one game. He averaged 20 minutes in those 15 games, failing to score or get an assist.
Sofascore gave Wilks an average rating of 6.51 in those 15 games. His best rating of 7.0 came in Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat away at Leicester City in February.
Would Wilks be a good signing for Rotherham United?
Evans has worked his magic in this transfer window so far. The most eye-catching signing has to be Jonson Clarke-Harris on a free transfer, a player who knows how to score in League One. Even the signing of Dawson is smart. He was often important for the Owls when they were promoted in the 2022/23 season.
Signing Wilks could be seen as more of a risk. Since joining the Owls, he’s played just 42 games, scoring three goals. His time at Hillsborough has been spoiled by injury. Evans would need to hope he doesn’t bring those injuries down the road to Rotherham.
For Wilks, it could be the fresh start he needs. His time with Wednesday has been far from memorable, and a move could be the thing to quickly start his career. He’s still only 25 so has lots of years ahead of him but needs to get playing regularly again.