Barry Bannan reacts to Liam Cooper joining Sheffield Wednesday in two words | OneFootball

Former Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan has shared his reaction to defender Liam Cooper signing a new contract at Hillsborough.

It is set to be a busy summer for Sheffield Wednesday after David Storch completed his takeover of the club.

Wednesday were relegated from the Championship last season during a nightmare campaign that saw them spend more than six months in administration following former owner Dejphon Chansiri's exit in October.

However, Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium finalised their takeover of the club last month, and after putting a proper structure in place at board level with David Bruce arriving as CEO and Simon Wilson taking over as sporting director, attention is now turning to strengthening what is currently a threadbare squad.

The Owls made their first signing of the summer last week when defender Ricardo Santos made the move from Swansea City, and fellow defenders Sil Swinkels and Tayo Adaramola are also expected to join from Aston Villa and Crystal Palace imminently.

As well as making further new additions, Wednesday are also looking to tie down members of their existing squad to new contracts, and defender Liam Cooper committed his future to the club this week as he signed a fresh one-year deal at Hillsborough.

Barry Bannan reacts to big Liam Cooper, Sheffield Wednesday news

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After a spell in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia, Cooper returned to English football when he joined Wednesday on a short-term contract in November.

Cooper made 14 appearances for the Owls last season, scoring one goal, but he missed the final two months of the campaign after picking up a groin injury in the 2-1 defeat to local rivals Sheffield United in February that sealed the club's relegation to League One.

However, despite his injury woes, Wednesday were keen to keep Cooper at Hillsborough for another season, and after he put pen to paper on a new contract, sporting director Wilson praised the 34-year-old for his "big impact in the dressing room" and claimed that he is "the type of player who represents the culture we want to create".

Among those to react to Cooper's contract extension was former Owls captain Barry Bannan, who himself has recently been linked with a return to the club less than six months after departing to join Millwall in January following a 10-and-a-half year spell in S6.

Bannan may have only spent two months playing alongside Cooper for Wednesday prior to his exit, but the pair were previously international team-mates with Scotland, and in response to news of the defender's new deal, Bannan wrote on his Instagram story: "My mukka", accompanied by three clapping emojis.

Barry Bannan's Liam Cooper comment will add further fuel to Sheffield Wednesday return talk

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Bannan's reaction to Cooper's new deal is far from the first time he has posted something Wednesday-related on his Instagram in recent weeks, which has led to increasing speculation that his return to Hillsborough could be imminent.

Despite only signing him in January, Millwall are believed to be open to allowing Bannan to depart this summer, and the Scot dropped a huge hint about his future over the weekend when he admitted there is "a big chance" he will re-join the Owls.

With Max Lowe expected to follow Cooper in signing a new contract and deals for Swinkels and Adaramola on the verge of completion, Wednesday are quietly putting together the core of a strong squad ahead of their return to League One, and it seems Bannan's emotional comeback may not be too far away.