Clarke - Long Term Project

Wednesday boss Brian Laws has urged Owls fans to be patient with new-boy Leon Clarke - insisting the potential is there to mould a quality player in the long-term.

A section of Owls fans have raised questions of the signing of the former Wolves hitman - after Clarke made two lacklustre substitute appearances since making the move to S6.

But Laws has revealed the 22-year-old has bags of potential which he hopes to help him achieve in the coming months.

He told the Sheffield Star: 'I'd like the fans to be patient with Leon. He's raw, he's been neglected, he's a talented player.

'If we can get his fitness levels right - he needs to lose a bit of weight, which he knows and we've told him about - and if we can get his head right, he's a quality player who can cause any defence problems.

'He's powerful, strong and he's got goals in him. At the moment, he's nowhere near that; that's why he's only playing small parts. The longer the weeks go by, the more his sharpness will return.'

And Laws is confident his work with the youngster on the Middlewood Road training pitch can reap high rewards for the player and the team.

He added: 'He knows what his problems are. He's accepted what we've said to him. It's potential we've gone for. We know what he can do, and he's young enough.'

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