Whelan out/Kav in

The January transfer window closed with Wednesday completing two deals that will come of little surprise to supporters of the club.

Irish midfielder Glenn Whelan has parted company with the club and has joined Stoke City in a deal believed to be worth £500,000 to the Owls. The player has been linked with a move to a number of clubs throughout the window but has finally plumped for Tony Pulis' promotion chasing side.

Whelan joined Wednesday from Manchester City in the summer of 2004 on a free transfer and was a key member of the team that secured promotion from league one in his first season. Although he will be missed in the Owls midfield he has not been able to consistently reproduce his form of last season and would have been free to leave Hillsborough for nothing in the summer, having failed to agree terms on a new contract.

In order to fill the void created by the loss of Whelan, Owls manager Brian Laws has moved to bring Sunderland midfielder Graham Kavanagh back to the club on a season-long loan deal.

The 34-year-old had a successful loan spell at Hillsborough earlier in the season, helping the Owls recover from their poor start to the campaign and his experience and influence on the team could prove to be crucial as Wednesday try to claw themselves away from the Championship relegation zone.