Barry Bannan thinks Sheffield Wednesday player is "similar" to Josh Windass | OneFootball

The returning Sheffield Wednesday legend is looking to replicate the success of the 2022/23 League One campaign at Hillsborough this season

Sheffield Wednesday are back in League One for the first time since the 2022/23 campaign, when the Owls miraculously earned promotion through the play-offs under Darren Moore.

There weren't too many positives in the decade-long reign of Dejphon Chansiri as Wednesday owner, especially in the final few years, but that season and that squad will definitely be remembered fondly in the stands at Hillsborough for a long time.

Four years later, a new-look Owls side under new ownership and fresh direction is looking to hit the ground running and replicate that success under Henrik Pedersen. There aren't too many similarities between the two squads, but the presence of Liam Palmer and Barry Bannan remains.

Bannan made his emotional return to Hillsborough this summer, six months on from his first stint with Wednesday ending. The Scotsman made 477 appearances over ten-and-a-half years at Sheffield Wednesday, and captained the side to that Wembley triumph in 2023.

The 36-year-old knows what it takes to get out of League One, and will be looking to write his latest chapter in a storied career at Wednesday alongside plenty of new teammates.

Barry Bannan compares Callum Slattery to Josh Windass

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Sheffield Wednesday are far from done in the transfer window this summer when it comes to bolstering the entire squad, but it's expected that other positions will take priority, such as the forward areas and at left-back.

Indeed, the Owls are already heading into the new campaign with a very strong midfield core. Billy Mitchell followed Bannan to Hillsborough after his contract with Millwall expired, and former Motherwell man Callum Slattery played as an attacking midfielder in a recent pre-season friendly against Stoke City.

The attacking midfielder in the Wednesday side who earned promotion back in 2022/23 was fan favourite Josh Windass, who spent five-and-a-half years at Hillsborough before being one of the many senior players who departed the club last summer.

The 32-year-old netted 16 times and assisted seven in all competitions during that 2022/23 campaign, and speaking to the Sheffield Star, Bannan sees similarities between Windass and new boy Slattery.

"Slatts is actually a bit similar to Josh in a way," he said. "He's got that energy and likes to run in behind, likes to get on the ball, and he's very good technically, so it's similar profiles there."

The veteran midfielder put an onus on everyone being fit and available in the midfield areas in the upcoming League One campaign. With plenty of strong engine rooms across the division, there'll be plenty of midfield battles to get stuck into next year.

"I think the three that we've got at the minute will be Billy, Slatts, and we've also got Jarvis [Thornton]. There's players who can play in the 10. We're going to need everybody in the changing room because it's a long season," he added.

"That three at the minute is a strong three, but like I said, there's no guarantee. There's loads of people in that dressing room coming on, especially the younger ones as well.

"That's what drives you on because it's easy to turn up and not have any competition. When you've got competition, it's there for everyone. I'm really happy with the options we have in that midfield at the minute. We've got a bit of everything."

Sheffield Wednesday would love for Callum Slattery to have a similar impact as Josh Windass next season

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Slattery has come under a lot of praise from Sheffield Wednesday fans and journalists over his performances thus far in pre-season, and while it is only pre-season, it provides plenty of optimism ahead of the new campaign getting underway.

The 27-year-old registered 13 goal contributions in all competitions in his final year at Motherwell, the most he's managed in a single season in his career so far.

If he can continue his trajectory back in England for the first time since leaving Southampton's academy in 2021, he could easily be someone who could register 20 goal contributions and help the Hillsborough-based side mount an immediate promotion push.

Only Michael Smith scored more than Windass did in the 2022/23 League One campaign, and only Bannan provided more assists that year, too.

If Slattery can be near the top of both those stats come May, there's every likelihood he'll have had yet another career year, which could send him on the way to becoming a fan favourite at Sheffield Wednesday.