"It is just amazing" - Big Barry Bannan claim made about his place in Sheffield Wednesday history | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit believes Barry Bannan is the best signing in the club's history.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan is currently enjoying his tenth season at Hillsborough.

The 35-year-old has once again been a key player for the Owls this term, as Danny Rohl's side have positioned themselves in mid-table ahead of the run-in at the end of the 2024/25 Championship season.

Bannan has scored four goals and provided four assists this term as things stand during the international break, but his impact goes beyond the numbers he has produced throughout his Sheffield Wednesday career, with his leadership qualities and ability to dictate the tempo also making him a standout player.

It is coming up to 10 years since Bannan signed for the Owls after leaving Crystal Palace in 2015, and as he closes in on earning himself a testimonial at Hillsborough, it could be argued that the decision to sign him was one of the best that the club has ever made.

Sheffield Wednesday praised for signing "club legend" Bannan

We asked our Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, what the biggest transfer masterstroke ever made by the club was, and he immediately pointed to Barry Bannan.

"In regard to the biggest transfer masterstroke, one for us definitely stands out and that is, of course, the signing of Barry Bannan," Patrick said.

"At the time, I remember thinking it was a good positive signing. We were looking to push on, having had a steady season under Stuart Gray. We had a new manager coming in, Carlos Carvalhal, who had a bit of money to spend, and I thought he was a shrewd target.

"He had experience at a higher level with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, so I did see him as a potentially key player for us, but he has just absolutely surpassed all expectations in his time at the club.

"10 years later, he is still running around with the energy of an 18-year-old, and he has just done so much for the club in his time here. He is almost never injured, always available, and the amount of times he has driven the team forward - you can't really count them.

"He is just a class above. His intelligent passing, his ability to calm a game down, and some of his movement - he is just a class act.

"Just ask opposition fans and managers who the biggest danger is, and it is Barry Bannan. The fact that 10 years on he is still seen as the main man is a testament to him, and his loyalty to the club cannot go unnoticed.

"When we were relegated to League One, he stayed on, and he took a wage reduction, so he is also just the ultimate professional.

"When you compare him to some of the players we have signed for transfer fees who have got nowhere near the level of Barry Bannan, it is just amazing to think that arguably one of the biggest club legends of all time is someone we managed to get on a shrewd free transfer.

"I cannot think of a better signing in our club's history."

Bannan is out of contract this summer

While Bannan is set to make it a decade at Hillsborough this summer, he does not plan for his testimonial to be scheduled any time soon, despite the fact that his contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

The Owls' captain made it clear that he was willing to extend his stay in S6 during an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield earlier this month.

"I'm feeling fine," Bannan said.

"We'll look at it at the end of the season and if I get a new deal, I'll sign it.

"If I don't, I'll try and find something else."

There is no doubt that the majority of Sheffield Wednesday supporters would prefer to see Bannan stay at the club rather than move elsewhere, and it seems fairly likely that he will be kept on for at least another season.