Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has confirmed the club held a serious interest in Huddersfield Town forward Joe Taylor during the summer transfer window. The admission comes ahead of a top-of-the-table League One clash between the two sides this weekend, with both featuring prominently in the early standings.

The 23-year-old striker, who joined Huddersfield from Luton Town, has since made a blistering start to life at the Accu Stadium, scoring five goals in just seven league appearances and earning a recent call-up to the Wales national squad. His form is a key reason Huddersfield sit third, just ahead of Wednesday in the table.

Sheffield Wednesday, who sit fourth with 14 points from seven games, travel to face third-placed Huddersfield on Saturday. The Owls are the only team in the division with a perfect away record, having won all three of their matches on the road by a 2-1 scoreline. Pedersen's side will be looking to their own attacking stats to improve upon back-to-back goalless home draws before the international break.

Pedersen previews physical battle

Pedersen acknowledged the significant challenge posed by their direct promotion rivals. "Huddersfield is a physically strong team who is also very strong on the ball," the Wednesday boss said in his pre-match press conference. He elaborated, describing them as strong in pressing and very flexible in their transitions, predicting a tough fight that will be decided by second balls and individual duels all over the pitch.

Sheffield Wednesday aim to impose their own style with high intensity and identity. The match ends a three-week break from league football for the Owls, whose recent form reads three wins and two draws from their last five outings. Pedersen said the team's basic level has remained strong, but admitted the top level has not been high enough in recent games to turn dominant performances into wins at Hillsborough.

The manager described the recent away victories as 'culture wins' rather than high-performance displays. With 18 new players arriving in a major summer rebuild, the squad is still being evaluated and gelled together. Saturday's game at the Accu Stadium, a key fixture in the fixtures list, kicks off at 3pm.

First reported at The Star