Sheffield Wednesday stalwart Barry Bannan could leave the Owls this month, with the likes of Stoke City, Preston North End, and Millwall all interested in signing the 36-year-old, whose contract is due to expire at the end of this season.
Sheffield Wednesday could be dealt another major blow this January, with Sky Sports’ Keith Downie reporting that club captain Bannan could leave the club before the end of the month.
The veteran midfielder has been an ever-present for the Owls this season, and, in truth, ever since his arrival back in 2015.
Though after nearly 11 years at Hillsborough, racking up nearly 500 appearances for the club across all competitions, there is a growing expectation that his time in South Yorkshire could come to an early and disappointing end.
Barry Bannan could leave Sheffield Wednesday this month, with strong Championship interest in the midfielder emerging
A 27-capped former Scottish international, Bannan is as experienced as they come at Championship level, and despite Wednesday’s struggles both on and off the field this season, he has been a shining light.
With his contract due to expire at the end of this season, it had grown increasingly likely that the 36-year-old would not continue with the club next season, though he could now well leave sooner than expected.
Bannan signed a fresh one-year deal to remain at the club last summer, turning down offers three times more than the £7,000 a week deal he signed at Hillsborough from both Millwall and Middlesbrough.
Wednesday’s 18-point deduction means they are rooted to the bottom of the second-tier table with negative points, and need nothing shy of an absolute miracle to avoid relegation this season.
With the likes of Stoke, Preston, and Millwall all interested in the experienced head, Bannan could leave before the season is over, and although the Owls are almost certainly resigned to relegation, his departure would prove to be a hugely disappointing and bitter blow for supporters of the club.
Barry Bannan’s exit would be the final nail in Sheffield Wednesday’s coffin
Indeed, now with Dejphon Chansiri out of the picture, brighter days look to be ahead for Wednesday.
Although they will almost certainly be plying their trade in the third tier next season, the removal of the Thai businessman from the club is all that many Wednesday supporters have been calling for years at this point.
A new ownership model has yet to be confirmed at the South Yorkshire outfit, though Owls fans will be optimistic that any new owner cannot be nearly as bad as Chansiri.
It looks as though a new era is on the horizon for this historic establishment, which must first weather the storm of the Championship for the remainder of this campaign before beginning the rebuild next season.
Though many Wednesday fans will struggle to imagine a midfield without Bannan in it, and seeing him leave before the season is over and without the chance to properly say their farewells would be a particularly hard pill to swallow.
Supporters of the club will be hoping that Bannan will stick around to see the season out at the place where he has become so admired, and despite it looking almost certain that it’s only going to end in one way, if Bannan were to reject any advances this month, it would certify his status as a true hero of the club.
