Sheffield Wednesday stars react as Barry Bannan drops social update | OneFootball

Barry Bannan has provided an update on Sheffield Wednesday's preparations for the new season

Sheffield Wednesday are preparing for life back in League One after coming bottom of the Championship table in 2025/26.

The Owls endured a difficult campaign due to significant off-field issues, which included going into administration.

But new owners are now in place, with Arise Capital completing their takeover of the Yorkshire outfit at the beginning of May.

The group led by David Storch will be keen to turn things around at Hillsborough, and have already overseen several additions to the first team squad this summer.

The likes of Sil Swinkels, Louie Barry, Callum Slattery and Harry Gray are among the names to have joined the club, with the latter arriving on loan from Leeds United.

Meanwhile, Barry Bannan has made his return after joining Millwall last January, which has led to a lot of excitement from supporters ahead of the new season.

Barry Bannan’s pre-season Sheffield Wednesday update

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Bannan has posted an update regarding Sheffield Wednesday’s pre-season trip to Hungary following his return to the club.

The 36-year-old was part of the training camp with Henrik Pedersen’s side, with the team preparing for the campaign ahead.

“A great week away with these lads,” wrote Bannan, via Instagram.

A number of Bannan’s teammates responded in what seemed like a quite productive training camp for the Owls.

Gray wrote: “Legend.”

Meanwhile, Swinkels posted two fire emojis in response, and Slattery replied: “What a player.”

The atmosphere surrounding Sheffield Wednesday is night and day compared to 12 months ago when players and staff were not being paid on time, which led to a number of departures from the squad, including Josh Windass.

Danny Rohl also departed from his role as head coach, which led to Pedersen stepping up from his position as assistant to take over the reins.

Sheffield Wednesday's summer signings so far

The Owls have also completed moves for Billy Mitchell, Joe Lumley, Jordi Liongola and Ricardo Santos, taking their total number of signings to nine for the summer.

And more incomings could yet follow, with the transfer window still open until 1 September.

Supporters will be keen to see the team return to a competitive level after Pedersen’s side won just twice in 2025/26, with the second victory coming only on the final day of the campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday will get their League One campaign underway on 15 August with a trip to face Leyton Orient.

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The mood around Sheffield Wednesday has rarely been better

The atmosphere around Sheffield Wednesday over the last few years has been quite miserable, particularly in the last season.

Even their promotion to the Championship under Darren Moore in 2023 was shrouded in negativity after he departed the club that summer.

But the new owners have helped shift the mood completely, and the return of Bannan has been a driving force behind that.

The team all seem in great spirits this pre-season, and there is a lot of anticipation now building for the new season.

It remains to be seen how competitive this squad will be in League One, or if they can compete for promotion straight away, but fans will just be excited that there’s a positive future to look forward to again.