Barry Bannan is now in his ninth season at Sheffield Wednesday. Despite him turning 35 in December, he’s still as good as ever.
Barry Bannan is enjoying another standout campaign with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, having featured in all 16 of his side’s league games this season, with two goals and one assist to his name.
It comes after the great escape last season, after which the Owls skipper was out of contract. But Bannan signed a new Sheffield Wednesday contract and it’s proved a fruitful decision for the club.
But there’s already talk about Bannan’s future with the assumption that he was handed a one-year extension at Hillsborough in the summer.
Bannan wants to finish his career at Sheffield Wednesday and if he keeps on playing the way he is, there’s no reason why he can’t play another season or two.
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Harlee Dean reveals the hilarious nickname Barry Bannan had at Sheffield Wednesday
Bannan has had many highs and lows with Sheffield Wednesday, with one of the low points coming when the club was relegated to League One.
The Owls spent two seasons in the third tier before achieving promotion under Darren Moore in 2023. Wednesday achieved promotion via the play-offs after losing the play-off semi-finals the season before.
Harlee Dean played in that play-off campaign. He was on loan from Birmingham City at the time and speaking on Under The Cosh recently, Dean discussed his time at S6, also revealing the nickname that the players had for Bannan at the time.
Dean said: “Some player him [Bannan]. We called him ‘Big Woolly’ – he takes his jumper off, and he’s got a jumper on. It’s like cashmere. He’s like a wolf, so we called him ‘Woolly’.
“No one gives Bazza stick. He runs that club. He can give it back as well. He’ll take it, but he can give it back.
“But what a player. He’s so good for that league [League One]. At that time, I just couldn’t believe it.”
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Danny Rohl eyeing Barry Bannan heir at Sheffield Wednesday
At nearly 35 years old and with his contract situation unclear, Rohl already has an eye on life after Bannan at Sheffield Wednesday.
Speaking earlier in the season, Rohl said of replacing Bannan at Sheffield Wednesday: “It’s not the easiest thing to find a replacement for Barry Bannan.
“Of course it is something we have to look for and we will do this, it’s a top topic for us in the recruitment.”
So far, Bannan has racked up 421 appearances for the Owls, with 10 goal contributions to his name as well (38 goals and 62 assists).
He remains a key player for the club, and one who’s always been well-liked by teammates and fans alike, as Dean’s comments suggest.