Ipswich Town promotion-winner should be among those on Sheffield Wednesday's transfer shortlist | OneFootball

We looked at some of the players that should be on Sheffield Wednesday's radar ahead of the January transfer window.

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.

Wednesday narrowly avoided relegation last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and there is plenty of optimism that they can climb the table in the year ahead.

It was a busy summer for the Owls with 11 new players arriving at Hillsborough, while key players such as Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Di'Shon Bernard, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass signed new contracts.

Wednesday's squad is significantly stronger than last season, but the early weeks of the season have highlighted some weaknesses that still remain, and Rohl will be keen to address those in January.

With that in mind, we looked at three players that should be on the Owls' radar ahead of the winter window.

Luke Woolfenden

Wednesday used the loan market incredibly well in January, bringing in the likes of James Beadle, Ian Poveda and Ike Ugbo, and they could adopt a similar strategy again this season.

While the Owls do have a number of centre-backs on their books, including Iorfa, Bernard, Michael Ihiekwe and Akin Famewo, all four of those players have been injured at some point this campaign, so more depth could be needed, particularly if Rohl persists with a back three.

One player he could target is Ipswich Town defender Luke Woolfenden, who has fallen out of favour at Portman Road in the Premier League.

Woolfenden played a crucial role over the last two seasons as the Tractor Boys won back-to-back promotions, and he started the first three games of the season in the top flight, but the arrivals of Jacob Greaves and Dara O'Shea have pushed him down the pecking order.

The 25-year-old has frequently been left out of the squad altogether over the last few weeks, and he will not want to sit in the stands at this stage of his career, so a move could be on the cards in January.

Having proven his Championship credentials last season in a promotion-winning side, Woolfenden would be an excellent signing for any second tier club, and he would certainly help to tighten up a Wednesday defence that has been a little vulnerable at times this season.

Kwame Poku

With Anthony Musaba, Djeidi Gassama and Olaf Kobacki all struggling for consistency, Wednesday could look to strengthen in the wide areas in January, and Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku could be the perfect option.

Poku has been one of the standout players in League One over the past few years, and he scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 49 games last season as Posh reached the play-offs and won the EFL Trophy.

After a stunning start to the new season, Poku is on course to significantly better that total this time around, and he is currently among the top scorers in the third tier.

Poku is out of contract at the Weston Homes Stadium this summer, so Peterborough may be forced to cash in on him in January to avoid losing him for free, but while that will reduce his valuation slightly, owner Darragh MacAnthony will still demand big money for one of his prized assets.

It remains to be seen whether the Owls would be willing to meet Posh's asking price for Poku, and they would likely face strong competition from their Championship rivals for his signature, but the 23-year-old would be an incredibly exciting signing if they could get a deal over the line.

Will Lankshear

Bolstering the forward line is likely to be another priority for Wednesday in January, with Ugbo, Michael Smith, Jamal Lowe and Charlie McNeill all failing to deliver in front of goal so far this season.

Having spent a reported fee of around £3 million on Ugbo in the summer, Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri will be reluctant to pay another sizeable figure for a striker in January, so Rohl may need to explore the loan market.

One striker that could be available for loan in the winter window is Tottenham Hotspur's Will Lankshear, who has been increasingly involved in Ange Postecoglou's first-team squad this season.

Lankshear started for Spurs in their 2-1 win at Ferencvaros in the Europa League earlier this month, underlining how highly he is rated by Postecoglou, but he is yet to feature in the Premier League this season, so he could be allowed to depart on a temporary basis in January in order to play regular football elsewhere.

The 19-year-old would need time to adapt to the Championship, but he has a prolific record at academy level and is a player with huge potential, so he could be the solution to Wednesday's goalscoring problems.