Barry Bannan drops Sheffield Wednesday transfer claim | OneFootball

The Scotland international has been speaking about the Owls' encouraging start to League One.

Given the size of Sheffield Wednesday, many from the outside assumed that the club would cope with relegation to League One despite the plight of the last couple of years.

Of course, it is never that simple, as not only did the Owls have to complete a seismic overhaul, but they also had to change their losing mentality, something that can be incredibly difficult to shake.

While it is early days into the new season, things are going swimmingly for the South Yorkshire side, who are sitting top of the pile after six games.

One of the key factors in the club's success has been their recruitment and summer arrival Barry Bannan has been discussing Wednesday's transfer activity.

Barry Bannan on Sheffield Wednesday's new signings

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To say Sheffield Wednesday's squad was thin heading into the summer would have been an understatement, and significant work was carried out behind the scenes to build a side ready for League One.

In total, 18 players arrived at Hillsborough before the transfer window closed, including 12 permanent signings and six loan deals.

One of those additions was Bannan, who returned to South Yorkshire after a short stint with Millwall, having only joined the Lions in January.

The Scotland international has started the season strongly, wearing the captain's armband in the last five league games, and has praised the club's recruits.

“We did a lot of transfers quite quickly in the summer; the majority were in time for St George’s or Vienna, around that time," he told The Star.

"When you were looking at the team in Vienna, you knew there was a lot of quality in the changing room. Look, we know this will take time, but there was always enough quality in that changing room not to start bad.

“You don’t know until the games come, but we were always quietly confident that with the core of the people that we had in early, we could get off to a good start.”

Which new Wednesday signings have shone so far?

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One man who generated plenty of hype when his move to Hillsborough was confirmed was Louie Barry, and he has certainly lived up to expectations.

The forward has been a creative threat, scoring three goals and adding an assist in his last two outings against Bromley and Wycombe Wanderers, and his absence against Wigan Athletic showed as the Owls lacked spark.

Then there is Callum Slattery, who was particularly impressive during Wednesday's opening four league matches, producing two goals and an assist while showing his quality in and out of possession.

Returnees Reece James and Bannan have also looked solid, and their experience will come in handy for the rest of the campaign, particularly if Henrik Pedersen's side are challenging for promotion.

Why the Owls already look like promotion candidates

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Four wins, one draw and a defeat is a solid start in League One, but results aside, there are several reasons why Pedersen's men look like genuine title contenders.

While I already touched on Wednesday's quality new signings, this squad now has depth, and that will be the most important factor in a long season with occasional three-game weeks.

Intriguingly, three of the Owls' wins have come away from home, and while that form will be hard to maintain, there is plenty of improvement to be made at home, where the club should start to pick up more points.

What sets the club apart from the rest of the division, however, is the combination of experienced heads like Bannan, Liam Cooper and Liam Palmer and star quality like Jamal Lowe and Yan Valery, who should be playing at a higher level.

Not only do the club have the ability to blow teams away on their day, but they can also grind out results, and as the campaign progresses, this group should only improve.