Lyle Taylor reveals what surprised him about Sheffield Wednesday’s Barry Bannan signing | OneFootball

Pundit Lyle Taylor has praised the comments made by the Sheffield Wednesday board after bringing Barry Bannan back to Hillsborough this summer.

Former EFL striker and pundit Lyle Taylor has praised the statements made by the Sheffield Wednesday hierarchy after Barry Bannan returned to the club this summer.

After suffering relegation from the Championship last season and spending over six months in administration, a new era is underway at Wednesday following the takeover by David Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium.

Barry Bannan makes Sheffield Wednesday return after David Storch takeover

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Having operated with a threadbare squad last season, Wednesday's new recruitment team have wasted no time in getting to work on putting a competitive squad together for League One, with no fewer than 13 new signings arriving at Hillsborough so far this summer.

The likes of Joe Lumley, Ricardo Santos, Sil Swinkels, Billy Mitchell, Callum Slattery, Louie Barry, Mason Burstow and Harry Gray are among the new faces to have checked in at S6 in recent weeks, but the return of former captain Barry Bannan has generated the most excitement among the Owls faithful.

Bannan spent more than 10-and-a-half years with Wednesday during his first spell at the club, but he departed for Millwall in January at the height of the club's off-field issues.

The 36-year-old helped the Lions to a third-placed finish in the Championship last season before they were beaten by Hull City in their play-off semi-final, but after just six months at The Den, he made an emotional return to South Yorkshire as he re-joined the Owls last month.

After the deal was announced, Wednesday sporting director Simon Wilson insisted that it was not a "sentimental move" and instead described it as "an opportunity to bring in a player whose creativity continues to rank amongst the best in the Championship", while he also claimed that "his return can be a catalyst for the team we are building, the momentum we want to create and the standards we set".

Lyle Taylor drops claim on Barry Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday situation

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When discussing Bannan's return to Wednesday on the Football Daily podcast, former Charlton Athletic, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City striker Taylor admitted that he was impressed by the comments made by the Owls board after bringing the Scot back to the club.

After host Aaron Paul claimed that Bannan "hated" his time at Millwall, Taylor replied: "He did.

"He was fairly vocal about that, or his Mrs was fairly vocal about that on social media, which is fine, it just seems to be the way of the modern game and the modern world.

"I found it interesting the statement that they made upon his re-signing that this isn't for clicks, this isn't for likes, this is us bringing back a man who we know can drive this football club forward.

"It's not very often you hear a football club come out and say such heartfelt words about a footballer, it was actually nice to see.

"I would like to see them do well because that fanbase has been through not just one mire, but a good few over the last seven or eight years, and they truly deserve some sort of success."

Barry Bannan is already proving Simon Wilson right after bold Sheffield Wednesday statement

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Given Bannan's legendary status at Hillsborough, it would have been easy to assume that his return was an attempt by Wednesday's new ownership to win over supporters and bring some positivity back to the club.

However, as Wilson correctly pointed out, Bannan proved that he is still capable of delivering at Championship level during his time at Millwall despite his limited minutes, and he has already shown signs of what he could produce for the Owls in the upcoming campaign.

Bannan made his first appearance of his second stint with Wednesday during their 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, providing the assist for Jamal Lowe's 70th-minute winner, and while his game time may need to be managed, he could be something of a cheat code for Henrik Pedersen's side in League One this season.