Sheffield Wednesday facing Barry Bannan contract issue - 3 Championship clubs should take advantage ft Ipswich Town | OneFootball

With the wages saga still ongoing at Hillsborough, it could leave the Owls susceptible to losing Bannan

Sheffield Wednesday's latest wages saga remains an ongoing issue at Hillsborough, with owner Dejphon Chansiri public enemy number one in the eyes of the Owls fanbase.

Just like March, player and staff wages have not been paid on time for the month of May, and a week after news first broke, the issue still has not been resolved by the Thai owner of Wednesday.

The Sheffield Star have hinted that the club are at a serious risk of having a contracts issue in regards to the playing squad due to the ongoing saga, with a "concern" that the EFL will not approve of any fresh renewals whilst they are under a registration embargo.

One player whose future is now up in the air is that of Barry Bannan, with the veteran Scottish midfielder in talks to extend his stay at Wednesday for an 11th season, but that could now be in jeopardy due to the late payment of wages.

Given the fact that Bannan seems to have kept his ability the older he has got, having showed no signs of slowing down with nine goal contributions in the league last season, the 35-year-old could now be on the radar of other Championship clubs - let's take a look at THREE second tier outfits that should be considering swooping for the ex-Aston Villa man.

Ipswich Town

They may have just been relegated from the Premier League, but there is no reason why Bannan couldn't slot straight into Kieran McKenna's starting 11 next season - or at least play a rotational part.

Going into the new campaign, the Tractor Boys don't have many midfield options on paper. Massimo Luongo has been released, Jens Cajuste and Kalvin Phillips' loans have come to an end, and there are even reports that Sam Morsy wants to explore his options in the Middle East.

Of the players contracted to Town, just Morsy, Cameron Humphreys and Jack Taylor remain, so more depth is needed within the engine room, and that is what Bannan could provide.

A left-footer compared to the right-dominated Morsy and Taylor, Bannan could also be a good mentor for the fledging talent that is Humphreys, who has just had a successful loan stint in League One with Wycombe and is now perhaps ready for the Championship.

Stoke City

We've seen Stoke sign a number of experienced Championship players throughout their time in the second tier since they returned in 2018, but that transfer strategy hasn't exactly worked out for them, having not finished above 14th position for the last seven seasons.

Recently, the Potters have more often than not invested in younger talents such as Million Manhoef, Wouter Burger, Jun-ho Bae among others, but a blend of experience is also needed, which is where Bannan comes into the equation.

In fairness to Mark Robins, he's not short of midfield options at the bet365 Stadium, but question marks must surely be hanging over Burger after his move to Midtjylland earlier in 2025 broke down - City will likely cash in in if they get a bid that meets their valuation.

Adding Bannan into the mix though would surely be a no-brainer if offered the chance - he could be the creative presence they need to push the Staffordshire outfit towards a play-off push under Robins.

West Brom

West Brom have ushered in a new era with the appointment of Ryan Mason as Tony Mowbray's replacement in The Hawthorns dugout, and it may be a smart piece of first business as Baggies boss to make a move for a player two years older than him in the form of Bannan.

Albion already have a left-footed midfielder who plays deep in the form of Alex Mowatt, and whilst the 30-year-old scored seven times in the Championship last season, many would say that Bannan is the better player overall.

The current West Brom midfield lacks a bit of depth after the departure of John Swift, and especially so if you consider Isaac Price as a more advanced midfielder, so making a move for Bannan to compete with Mowatt and Jayson Molumby would be incredibly smart - even if it's just for one year.