In 2023, the rules for players joining English clubs were updated. Under the new system, players who did not qualify for Governing Body Endorsement could still join a club as an ESC player – someone the club believes can make an Elite Significant Contribution.
Players are not required to remain in the ESC category indefinitely. For example, Pol Valentin, who did not qualify for a work permit when he joined last summer, has now been reclassified as a non-ESC player after playing over 50% of the available minutes.
Most of the recent signings for the Owls are either English or automatically qualified for a work permit based on their playing time, league, or international caps from the previous season. However, not all new players meet these criteria. Danny Röhl has stated that there is currently only one ESC spot left at Wednesday.
