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Will Michael Smith still be at Hillsborough come the start of the 2025-26 season?

Sheffield Wednesday have a number of contract situations to sort out when the end of the 2024-25 season approaches, with many of those being experienced players with a lot of mileage on their engines.

That includes veteran striker Michael Smith, who has been a real bargain signing on a free transfer from Rotherham United in 2022.

The powerhouse forward helped to fire the Owls into the Championship in his debut season by racking up 18 goals, but he played more of a peripheral role from the bench in 2023-24, only finding the back of the net four times in the league.

Smith has doubled that tally during the current campaign with eight goals at the time of writing, and with four assists to his name too, the 33-year-old is enjoying himself in the twilight of his career.

Don Goodman urges Sheffield Wednesday to offer Michael Smith an extended contract

Soon though, Sheffield Wednesday and head coach Danny Rohl will need to make a decision on Smith's future, and he's a player that in recent months has been in-demand.

League One high-flyers Wrexham wanted Smith during the January transfer window, but a deal was not done, and instead the Red Dragons landed the double signing of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez to bolster their attacking ranks.

Even though he's started just three Championship matches since the turn of the year, Smith has popped up with some crucial goals for Wednesday in that period, and EFL pundit Don Goodman believes that he should be sticking around at Hillsborough for at least another season given what he's done in the last seven months.

"Honestly, I think Michael Smith is having a brilliantly impactful season," Goodman said when speaking exclusively to Football League World.

"He's a bit of a throwback in his physicality as a number nine, in the fact he's a powerhouse in the air, gets on the end of crosses, messes defenders around, and he's got eight goals and four assists in just 12 starts.

"Now I know a large part of those goal involvements were him coming off the bench, and quite frankly at the age of 33 I think that's why I'd probably be keeping him if I was Sheffield Wednesday, because I'm not necessarily saying he'll be starting loads and loads of games, but there's no doubt about it, the impact he can have off the bench.

"And as I said, because of the fact he's a lot different to most centre-forward now, he would be useful."

Michael Smith could have one more Championship season to offer for Sheffield Wednesday

Smith being close to hitting double figures in the Championship at this stage of his career is certainly a success, so when you think about it, why wouldn't Wednesday want to keep him around for next season?

The veteran target man is clearly happy playing the role he is under Danny Rohl, and it would be a surprise if he were able to play week in, week out from the start of second tier matches due to the sheer intensity.

Wednesday have lacked a consistent goal threat from the start of matches up-front due to the 31-game goalless streak of Ike Ugbo, with the likes of Smith, Josh Windass and Djedji Gassama having to chip in to bolster the tally.