5 'younger' Barry Bannan-type players Sheffield Wednesday must eye ft Spurs player | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday should target a move for some promising talents that could fill the sizeable void left by Barry Bannan when the Scotsman departs.

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to win promotion back into the Championship at the first time of asking, and they've made a positive start to life in the third-tier.

The Owls are second in the League One table, and have lost just once from their opening seven league matches this term, which makes for impressive viewing.

One player that has unsurprisingly been at the heart of their strong showings is Barry Bannan, who returned to the club in the summer on a one-year deal.

Bannan had previously made 477 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, before opting to sign for Millwall back in January 2026, although that move didn't conclude as he would have liked.

The Scotsman played his part as Millwall reached the play-off semi-final, but they were unable to get over the line in their bid for promotion.

With Sheffield Wednesday under new ownership, Bannan decided to return to Hillsborough, and he'll fancy his chances of winning promotion with Henrik Pedersen in charge.

It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for Bannan, with just under a year remaining on his current deal with the Owls. We'll take a look at five younger players that fit the same style as Bannan that Sheffield Wednesday could target heading towards future transfer windows.

Lewis Bate

Bate is currently on the books with fellow League One side, Stockport County, and has caught the eye for all the right reasons with them, as they target promotion themselves.

The midfielder came through Chelsea's academy, before spending the early stages of his senior career with Leeds United, before moving to Stockport in 2024.

He's not the biggest physical presence at 1.72m, but can control games as a deep-lying playmaker who loves to break up opposition attacks.

Jamie Donley

Donley is on loan with Luton Town this season, although he's contracted with Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur.

At the age of 21, he's still got his best years ahead of him, but has had experience in senior football out on loan with Leyton Orient, Stoke City, and Oxford United.

He's capped at youth level for England, but is now turning out for the Northern Irish senior team on a regular basis on the international stage.

Donley is a more attack-minded midfielder, but has a similar creativity to Bannan, as well as having an eye for goal, having scored eight goals and being on hand to provide 11 assists in his loan spell with Leyton Orient in the 2024/25 season.

Below, you'll find a full breakdown of Donley's statistics from his loan spells in the last couple of seasons.

Charlie Savage

Savage is currently with Reading, although he's found regular game time hard to come by this term with the Royals, who are challenging for promotion back into the Championship.

Reading boss Leam Richardson has plenty of strong options in the centre of midfield, with Lewis Wing and Andy Rinomhota occupying the starting spots in the Royals team for much of the 2026/27 campaign.

Savage hasn't started anywhere near enough games this term, which could result in him eyeing a move elsewhere this summer. The Welshman has been called up to Craig Bellamy's Wales side for their recent Nations League matches, and he'll know that he'll need to be playing at a higher level than League One moving forward if he's to retain his place in the Wales squad.

Charlie Webster

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Charlie Webster is another player that Sheffield Wednesday could look to turn to if they were looking to find a long-term replacement for Bannan in the future.

Webster spent the early years of his career with Chelsea, but failed to force his way into their first-team picture, which resulted in him moving on permanently in 2024, as he moved to Burton Albion.

The central midfielder has started all eight of Burton Albion's league matches in this year's campaign, and chipped in with one goal and one assist for the Brewers, who have made a strong start to this season.

He's only 22-years-old, and given his experience at this level already, he could be ready to make the step up to the Championship if Sheffield Wednesday were to win promotion this term.

Which division does AI think each League One club belong in though? Head over to our dedicated article to find out!

Ewan Henderson

Henderson has made a strong start to the season in League One with Wycombe Wanderers. The central midfielder has one goal and four assists to his name, and caught the eye for all the right reasons.

The Scotsman has been with the Chairboys since July 2025, and if he can continue to build on these displays, then it wouldn't be at all surprising to see interest in his services heighten heading towards the upcoming transfer window.