Sheffield Wednesday have their feet very much back on the ground now in the unfolding Championship race to stave off the drop, the Owls cut open at will last time out as automatic promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town won 6-0 at Portman Road.
Such a devastating loss could really dent Danny Rohl's men psychologically, with the German boss no doubt wanting his players to remain focused on the task of staying in the division regardless even as the international break grinds second-tier games to a temporary halt.
Rohl won't have been pleased with some notable underperformers that flopped against the Tractor Boys, mainly one fringe figure who could be offloaded in the summer owing not just to his dire performances this season but also due to his hefty wage.
Mallik Wilks' wage at Sheffield Wednesday
According to Capology, Mallik Wilks – despite making only 14 appearances in the Championship this campaign – rakes in a handsome pay packet of £11.9k per week.
The former Hull City man has started remarkably only one of those games, with the 25-year-old winger just blending into the background at Hillsborough consequently instead of taking his stuttering Owls career by the scruff of its neck.
Wilks' lacklustre 37-minute run-out at Portman Road won't exactly be demanding that Rohl starts selecting him from the get-go more often either, failing to hit a single on-target effort on the Ipswich net from his forgettable second-half cameo alongside managing just three passes.
It's his extortionate salary compared to other more bright members of the Wednesday camp that will rile those with connections to the South Yorkshire side further, with the 6 foot attacker boasting a far heftier pay packet than rising Owls star Bailey Cadamarteri despite the teenager offering so much more for his relegation-threatened side.
Mallik Wilks' wage compared to the Wednesday squad
Cadamarteri has even been called up to the Jamaica international ranks for the first time during this break, but he still comes in as earning a lesser £5k per week salary with Wilks earning more than double that amount even when fading in and out of the first team.
Scoring four times in all competitions since bursting through into the senior side, a respectable goal return for a novice, the 18-year-old striker will feel hard done by that Wilks is pocketing a better wage.
Dominic Iorfa
£9.5k per week
22
Anthony Musaba
£9k per week
40
Marvin Johnson
£8k per week
24
Akin Famewo
£7.3k per week
32
Di'Shon Bernard
£6.5k per week
34
Looking at the table above, Cadamarteri won't be alone in feeling incensed about Wilks' high salary and therefore Wednesday could look to get rid of their ex-Tigers man this summer.
Never quite living up to the hype that was generated around his capture in 2022 – with Wilks previously prolific at Hull having found the back of the net 19 times during the 2020-21 campaign – the 25-year-old could be set to move on when his contract expires in June.
Between now and then however, Rohl will still aim to get a tune out of his struggling attacker as the Owls all band together to try and remain in the Championship.
