David Storch can find Sheffield Wednesday’s Barry Bannan 2.0 with bargain transfer | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday could find the ideal Barry Bannan replacement in former Stockport County midfielder, Odin Bailey, who is set to be a free agent.

Sheffield Wednesday fans will be hoping that their side can make a swift return to the Championship next season, although they'll be well aware that patience is required with new ownership in place.

The club announced that David Storch's takeover of the club was completed on the final day of the 2025/26 season, the same day in which Sheffield Wednesday beat West Brom in front of a sold-out Hillsborough.

It's been a frustrating few years for Sheffield Wednesday's supporters to sit through, with former owner Dejphon Chansiri causing plenty of problems on and off the field.

The Owls were relegated from the Championship, as they were ultimately never able to recover from the points deduction they were hit with early on in the 2025/26 campaign.

Plenty of players left the club over the last couple of years, with Barry Bannan being the most notable, with the Scotsman making 477 appearances in total for the Owls across an 11-year spell.

Bannan departed in favour of a move to Championship side, Millwall during the January transfer window, but has been linked with a return to Sheffield Wednesday now that the club are under new ownership.

Is there a better option than Barry Bannan for Sheffield Wednesday?

There's no doubting that Bannan is a firm fans favourite at Sheffield Wednesday, and he's a player that would add substanstial experience and quality to their midfield ranks ahead of their upcoming League One campaign.

However, a move certainly wouldn't be cheap, especially when Millwall only signed the 36-year-old six months ago. He's contracted with the Championship side until the summer of 2027, but you'd imagine that he could be tempted by a Hillsborough return.

On the flip side, there will be an argument that Sheffield Wednesday should potentially consider looking at the future, and at the age of 36, Bannan might not feature in those plans.

One player that could be a shrewd addition for the Owls is Odin Bailey, who was surprisingly released from his contract with Stockport County this summer.

In a recent report from The Star, Bailey has been named as a player that is reportedly on Henrik Pederson's radar ahead of the new league campaign in the third-tier.

Odin Bailey could take Sheffield Wednesday into the promotion hunt

Bailey was previously on the books with Birmingham City as a youngster, but has gone on to make a name for himself with Stockport County, and played a key role for them in his time with the club.

The midfielder has spent the last three years with Stockport, and will feel desperately unlucky not to have gained promotion into the Championship with the Hatters.

Stockport were beaten by Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off final this term, and Bailey featured in the full 90 minutes in the defeat to the Trotters.

In total, Bailey made 57 appearances for Stockport during the 2025/26 campaign, and so it's clear to see he's a player that has more than enough stamina in the tank to feature heavily during a season, which is exactly what Sheffield Wednesday are going to need, especially when they're set to feature in the EFL Trophy as well as all the other domestic competitions.

Bailey knows what is required to challenge for promotion in League One, and he'd be more than capable of taking Sheffield Wednesday into the promotion hunt, particularly if he can replicate the sort of form that he had shown for Stockport.

The 26-year-old is still in his prime, and the talented playmaker would bring a considerable amount of class, composure, and creativity to the Sheffield Wednesday midfield. With the midfielder being a free agent, it should be a no-brainer for the Owls to push ahead and secure an agreement to land Odin Bailey's signature.

There's no doubting that Barry Bannan would be a welcome addition back to Sheffield Wednesday, and he's done great things for the Owls, but now could be the ideal time for the club to plan for the future, and looking at a player of Odin Bailey's quality should be top of their agenda this summer.