Barry Bannan spearheads Sheffield Wednesday change as Henrik Pedersen makes squad decision

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Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer have been mixing with the U18 squad, which could hint towards one club decision this season.

Sheffield Wednesday have been plagued with issues this summer, both on-and-off the pitch.

The reign of Dejphon Chansiri has received widespread criticism, and Sheffield Wednesday fans have since staged protests against the Thai owner, with the most recent one seeing supporters walk through Hillsborough Park with a coffin.

One of the main concerns in S6 this summer has been the mass exodus of first-team players, with several Sheffield Wednesday stars moving on, either on free deals or for predominantly lower than their market value.

Sheffield Wednesday are currently prohibited from making deals until Chansiri can satisfy the EFL that he has the funds available to pay wages, and as a result, as anticipated by the owner, Henrik Pedersen will likely continue to use younger players.

Pedersen has already thrown many youngsters into the deep end in the current circumstances, and the club’s most recent actions suggest that may continue.

• READ MORE: Henrik Pedersen holds talks with Dejphon Chansiri as Sheffield Wednesday fight to keep ‘important’ star

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer help integrate the U18s into the first team 

Via the club website, both Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer have been involved in giving a speech to the current U18 side.

This comes about after a decision by Henrik Pedersen to make ‘the academy and first team to be much closer together’, which is a choice made by the Dane that has come about amid the club’s current difficulties of bringing in new players.

Speaking about the changes and the talk given by Bannan and Palmer, newly-appointed Sheffield Wednesday U18 coach Jordan Broadbent said: “We speak a lot about culture and the behaviours we expect from the players, we’re not just here to develop players, we’re here to develop people.

“Having spoken to Henrik, he wants the academy and first team to be much closer together. On the Friday before we travelled to Cardiff with the 18s, Liam Palmer and Barry Bannan came and gave a little speech to our Under-18s as a group.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s cup trip to Bolton Wanderers saw several youngsters get the opportunity of first-team football, and it is expected that the EFL Cup second round clash with Leeds United will provide yet another chance.

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday given ‘stark reminder’ in Stoke City loss for Championship survival fight

What Jordan Broadbent said about ‘role models’ Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer

When looking to strengthen the bond between the U18s and the first team, there are not many better players to turn towards than the experienced Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer.

The Owls pair have been through thick-and-thin when donning the famous white and blue of Sheffield Wednesday, and U18 coach Jordan Broadbent recognises the positive impact that they can have on the younger ranks.

“I just thought for our boys to hear from them, two players who live and breathe this club and the amount of appearances they have – I can’t thank them enough,” said Broadbent.

“We speak about how hard it is for our players to go and play for this club once, between Baz and Palms they’ve nearly done it 900 times! We speak about discipline, motivation, standards and what we do away from the pitch and having those guys as role models for the players is invaluable.”