Barry Bannan or Liam Palmer? Sheffield Wednesday captaincy hint speaks volumes | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday welcomed back their former captain this summer, but Barry Bannan may not be resuming that role in 2026/27

Barry Bannan's return to Sheffield Wednesday this summer was an emotional one.

The 36-year-old had spent a decade and a half with the South Yorkshire side before he reluctantly left in January to sign for Millwall, amidst worries about the future of the club in administration.

While very much secondary to everything surrounding his departure, Bannan joining Millwall meant that, for the first time since the summer of 2020, a new club captain needed to be appointed at Hillsborough.

It was a no-brainer of a decision for Sheffield Wednesday, though, as Liam Palmer, one of the handful of players who has played more times for the Owls than Bannan, was swiftly confirmed as the new captain for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 34-year-old defender wore the armband for his 500th Wednesday appearance against Watford in March and did so when he overtook Jack Brown to become the player with the second-most appearances in an Owls shirt in the penultimate game of the campaign against Oxford United.

But now, as we head into the 2026/27 term, questions have been asked about whether Palmer will be made to relinquish the armband as the former captain makes his return to the club.

Sheffield Wednesday captaincy hint issued in pre-season friendly

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Sheffield Wednesday have yet to publicly confirm who will be captain next season, whether it will remain with Palmer or move back to Bannan, who wore the armband for five-and-a-half years before he departed in January.

The Sheffield Star have given a hint as to who it may be, though, as the two were on the field at the same time during their recent behind-closed-doors friendly defeat against West Brom last Saturday.

In the half where they both featured, it was Palmer who took on captaincy duties ahead of Bannan, and other duties off the field are expected to be taken by the 34-year-old, too, despite his compatriot and good friend returning to the club this summer.

The defender has made 509 appearances for the famous club, and is now just 47 away from tying Andrew Wilson atop the games played charts at Wednesday. Bannan is 32 behind Palmer on 477.

It'd be expected that, if Palmer was not on the field, Bannan would act as a more than apt deputy, but as it stands, it seems that the 34-year-old will be retaining the captaincy that he adopted from the midfielder midway through last season.

Sheffield Wednesday have a wealth of experience with Liam Palmer and Barry Bannan in the squad again next season

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Having experience in a squad is key, and having players who know what it takes to play for a club is also very useful, too. In Bannan and Palmer, Sheffield Wednesday have both.

If Palmer can stay injury-free in the upcoming campaign, there's every chance he becomes the all-time leading appearance maker at Hillsborough, while Bannan will be expected to become just the fifth player in the club's history to pass 500 appearances next season, too.

Having those two around will be priceless in the progression of some of the younger players emerging and new faces arriving at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, and regardless of who wears the captain's armband on a matchday, both will be the main leaders in the changing room in 2026/27.

And you'd expect that, if the Owls can get their hands on some silverware this season, boyhood Wednesday fan Palmer will relish lifting the trophy first, but not long after him will be Bannan.