Barry Bannan reacts in three words when asked about Sheffield Wednesday return | OneFootball

The Scottish midfielder has been heavily linked with a swift return to S6

Following their relegation from the Championship to League One, there is plenty of work to do at Sheffield Wednesday under their new ownership group to aid a crucial rebuilding period within the next year.

The Owls' recent fortunes have been documented at length, as less than a decade on from reaching the second tier play-offs for two successive years, the Steel City outfit were relegated to the third tier for the second time in five years, again with a huge backdrop of financial uncertainty.

After finishing in mid-table in the Championship in what proved to be Danny Rohl's only full season in charge at Hillsborough, last term began with a mass exodus of senior players and the majority of those in the dugout, leaving Henrik Pedersen with the impossible task of staving off relegation to League One in the process.

Indeed, the club was docked 18 points in total last season - 12 of which came when they entered administration following the exit of controversial former owner, Dejphon Chansiri in October, whilst the majority of developments in the past year had centered around a long-awaited takeover.

The final day of the 46-game season was certainly one to savour, though, as the Owls defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in S6 less than 24 hours after David Storch took control of the club through American investment group, Arise Capital Partners, whilst a 15-point deduction for 2026/27 was also waived by the EFL.

As such, the club are not said to be subject to spending restrictions, meaning transfer speculation is already rife, particularly over the potential for a deal to be struck between themselves and cult figure, Barry Bannan.

Barry Bannan issues three-word reaction as Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall transfer talk intensifies

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Indeed, the 36-year-old Scotsman had been through it all with Wednesday after initially signing from Crystal Palace 11 summers ago, becoming the club's most high-profile associated figure for a generation as a result of his longevity and level of performance in midfield.

Throughout his first spell at the club, the former Aston Villa man was named captain in August 2020 under the management of Garry Monk, donning the armband right up until his emotional departure for Championship outfit, Millwall, in January.

The last of Bannan's 477 previous games for the Owls came in the 2-0 loss at Bristol City on January 24th, after which he was reduced to tears, before stating in a just-as emotional departure video that he would hope to come back to Hillsborough in the future.

The Scot has since only played 16 times for the Lions, who lost 2-0 to Hull City in the Championship play-off semi-finals under Alex Neil, and has since been heavily linked with a return to Wednesday.

He was back in Sheffield on Sunday to see the unveiling of a mural dedicated to himself in the Park pub, in the vicinity of Hillsborough, and when asked by the Star what the odds are of him coming back to the club ahead of the new season, Bannan responded: “Yes, I think there is (a chance).

“I think there's a big chance," he stated.

“Obviously, I made it clear when I left that I wanted to finish my career at Wednesday, whether it was football, coming back as a coach, or somewhere along the line. So, I don't think that will ever leave.”

“So, this club and I will always have something. But as it stands at the minute, I've still got another year at Millwall. I have enjoyed my time there," Bannan added.

Sheffield Wednesday fans are full of excitement as Barry Bannan return nears

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It comes as no real surprise that Wednesdayites are reacting in their droves to this news, whilst the club have been linked with moves for Wes Burns, who won promotion for a third time with Ipswich Town last season, as well as recent League One hotshot, Joe Taylor, currently of Huddersfield Town.

One supporter, including Bannan on a list, would clearly be satisfied by the club's potential transfer activity.

Another Wednesdayite issued a rather humourous reaction to the well-documented developments in recent days.

One Owls supporter claims they would normally be against the re-signing of former players, but Bannan is, quite clearly, an exception.

Meanwhile, while Bannan's time at Millwall hasn't exactly gone down too well with some fans, one described it as a low-cost risk that was just rather unfortunate.