Barry Bannan tipped for new Sheffield Wednesday role amid Middlesbrough and Millwall interest

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In a summer of hammer blows for Sheffield Wednesday, losing club captain Barry Bannan would be the final nail in the coffin for the Owls fanbase.

Sheffield Wednesday have been in dire straits throughout the summer ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign.

EFL embargoes, high-profile departures and Danny Rohl’s exit from Sheffield Wednesday have plagued the Owls in recent months thanks to the disastrous ownership of Dejphon Chansiri.

The latest woes came this week when it emerged that Sheffield Wednesday players could refuse to play as a result of failure to receive wages for July, which could lead the EFL to step in by withholding money from the club.

Losing Owls captain Barry Bannan could prove to be the straw that breaks the back of Sheffield Wednesday supporters, and one expert has had his say on how the club can keep the Scotsman.

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Barry Bannan backed for new Sheffield Wednesday role by expert

Bannan revealed his thoughts on Sheffield Wednesday’s season recently, admitting that it was a “chance missed” to earn a place in the play-offs.

Fast forward a few months, and after ten years of service to the Owls, Bannan is yet to be offered a new deal by Chansiri and the Wednesday hierarchy despite continuing to train.

Middlesbrough and Millwall are interested in Barry, and with the Championship season fast approaching, the midfielder’s hands could be forced into a move if Chansiri does not offer him a new deal.

Amid the uncertainty hanging over Hillsborough and the future of Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday reporter Alan Biggs has explained what the club must offer the Scotsman to ensure he does not depart.

Biggs told the Sheffield Star: “Bannan has to be front and centre of any regime as a powerful unifying force after a period in which the club has simply been falling apart.

“It is in an adapted role, combining on field and off, that I can see him continuing to be a major figure, as well as opening up a new avenue to his career.

“(I) Believe new manager Henrik Pedersen has planned to install the Scot as player-coach. A similar role could well be envisaged for another veteran stalwart, Liam Palmer. Both men are committed to a coaching pathway.

“This would also be a way of retaining them, not only as players but as infectious role models, setters of standards.

“In Bannan’s case, coaching would also be a way of affording him, as his high earnings (albeit he’s been worth every penny) are no secret and there is no chance of parity in any new deal.”

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Dejphon Chansiri must act before Barry Bannan leaves Sheffield Wednesday

Despite being 35, Bannan proved last season that he is still more than capable of running the midfield at Championship level.

Last season, the Scotsman scored four goals and notched five assists in 41 league appearances in his tenth season at Sheffield Wednesday, taking his Owls tally to an exemplary 35 goals and 73 assists.

Biggs summarised on Bannan: “Bannan has come to embody the best of Wednesday, unfailingly loyal and committed in good times and bad.”

The Sheffield Wednesday faithful will no doubt mirror his appraisal, and if the magical midfielder is not offered a new deal by Chansiri in the coming days, it could be the end of the line for much of the Owls fanbase.