Barry Bannan drops Sheffield Wednesday post as return talk intensifies | OneFootball

Barry Bannan shared a Sheffield Wednesday-related post on his social media as speculation increases about a potential return to Hillsborough.

It is set to be a big summer of change at Sheffield Wednesday after David Storch completed his takeover of the club.

Wednesday were relegated from the Championship last season following a nightmare campaign that saw them pick up just two wins all season and deducted a total of 18 points, while they also spent over six months in administration after former owner Dejphon Chansiri's exit in October.

However, after an uncertain and turbulent period, there was finally some good news for the long-suffering Owls supporters earlier this month when Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium were confirmed as the new owners of the club.

Storch has wasted no time in getting to work at Wednesday, and their squad rebuild is already underway, with the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah, Marvelous Nakamba and Rio Shipston departing at the end of their contracts, while Liam Palmer, Svante Ingelsson and Jamal Lowe are among those who have had extension options triggered.

The Owls may be entering an exciting new era under Storch, but much of the talk among the fanbase in recent weeks has been about a potential reunion with an old favourite, with the club believed to be exploring the possibility of bringing former captain Barry Bannan back to South Yorkshire.

Bannan scored 37 goals and provided 75 assists in 477 games during a 10-and-a-half year spell with Wednesday before departing for Championship promotion hopefuls Millwall in January, but after less than six months at The Den, it seems a return to Hillsborough could be on the cards.

Barry Bannan shares Sheffield Wednesday post amid Hillsborough return speculation

The Wednesday Word first reported last month that Wednesday had held internal talks about re-signing Bannan this summer, and The Star claimed last week that his return "remains a possibility", despite Millwall missing out on promotion following their play-off defeat to Hull City.

Bannan only signed an 18-month contract at The Den in January, but only six of his 16 appearances for the club so far have come from the start, and, according to journalist Alan Nixon, the Lions will not stand in the 36-year-old's way if he wishes to join the Owls.

As speculation about his future continues to gather pace, Bannan shared a Wednesday-related post on social media on Monday as he reflected on the third anniversary of the club's incredible play-off victory over Peterborough United.

The Owls were 4-0 down after a first leg hammering at the Weston Homes Stadium, but they produced a remarkable comeback in the second leg at Hillsborough, with goals from Michael Smith, Lee Gregory, Reece James and Liam Palmer — the latter scoring in the 98th minute — ensuring the tie went to extra time.

Posh retook the lead on aggregate in the first period of extra time through Gregory's own goal, but Callum Paterson's strike sent the game to penalties, with Wednesday winning the shootout to set up a final against Barnsley at Wembley, which they won 1-0 to seal promotion back to the Championship.

​​​​​Sharing a video of the memorable night on his Instagram story, Bannan wrote: "What a night this was".

Barry Bannan's social media post will fuel Sheffield Wednesday reunion talk

It is no secret that Wednesday are keen to bring Bannan back to Hillsborough this summer, and with Millwall said to be open to allowing him to depart, it seems the door is open for the Owls to strike a deal.

Bannan's stance on a reunion with his former club is unknown at this stage, but his former Wednesday team-mate Keiren Westwood dropped a big hint about his future earlier this month when he claimed that the Scot would "have an eye" on returning to S6.

Prior to his January exit, Bannan regularly stated his desire to remain with the Owls for the rest of his career, and with his recent social media post suggesting that he still has fond memories of the club, it feels increasingly likely that he will be back in the blue and white stripes next season.