Will Vaulks’ departure from Sheffield Wednesday took many fans by surprise when it was announced that he would be joining Oxford United. Sheffield Wednesday’s manager, Danny Röhl, has addressed the midfielder’s exit following his decision to move to their Championship rivals. Despite the club offering Vaulks a new contract as part of their 2024 summer retained list, the Welsh international chose to sign a three-year deal with Oxford United, who were promoted to the Championship after winning the League One play-offs in May.
Vaulks’ stellar performances in the latter part of the previous season earned him the title of player of the year from Wednesday’s fans. However, this accolade wasn’t enough to extend his stay as Röhl continues to reshape the squad ahead of the new season. The German coach spoke highly of Vaulks’ contributions to the team’s successful battle against relegation and shed light on the discussions that led to his departure. Röhl emphasized that there were no hard feelings between them and looked forward to facing the determined midfielder in future encounters.
“I wrote Will a personal message and expressed my immense gratitude,” Röhl said. “His improvement in the final weeks and months was significant. His dedication, especially being out of contract, was commendable. It was remarkable to see such energy from him.”
“We had an honest conversation, and he decided to move to Oxford. This is a normal occurrence in football. We’ll face each other soon, and it will be a competitive match. Both sides will showcase their strength. This is football; we move on. The most important thing is maintaining honesty and being able to look each other in the eye. This is the kind of transparent feedback I strive to offer my players.”
In a comprehensive interview with BBC Sheffield following his departure, Vaulks spoke about the positive atmosphere at Oxford and how the club made him feel valued.
“I’ll miss it,” he remarked. “We loved it at Sheffield. It’s known that I wanted to stay under the right circumstances. Sadly, things didn’t work out as hoped. My family and I were very settled here, but I leave with my head held high, knowing I did everything I could for the club. Sometimes, things just don’t align. That’s the nature of football.”
