How Barry Bannan reacted to Billy Mitchell joining Sheffield Wednesday from Millwall | OneFootball

Billy Mitchell has been reunited with Barry Bannan at Sheffield Wednesday this summer

Sheffield Wednesday have announced their ninth signing of the transfer window, as recently departed Millwall midfielder Billy Mitchell arrived at Hillsborough.

The busiest side in the transfer window this summer in the EFL were on their way to finishing a relatively quiet week when it came to incomings before the 25-year-old arrived to bolster Henrik Pedersen's midfield ahead of Wednesday's League One return.

Mitchell is another example of a player dropping down the EFL to sign for the Owls this summer, too, which emphasises the pull that Sheffield Wednesday has in League One and how exciting the project is under the new Arise ownership.

The midfielder has 184 appearances in the Championship, all for boyhood club Millwall, and has yet to play below the second tier. Injuries did hamper his last couple of seasons at the Den, but when fit, he started 24 times for the side that finished one point off the automatic promotion places last year.

He's not the first player who many feel is joining Sheffield Wednesday in League One, despite being able to play at a higher level, and he's not the first to make the switch from Millwall this summer, either.

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Mitchell will already have a familiar face next to him in the midfield at Hillsborough, after Barry Bannan made his return to Sheffield Wednesday following a short stint at Millwall last season.

The 36-year-old Owls legend left Wednesday in January amidst uncertainty surrounding the future of the club, who were under administration at the time with James Bord as the preferred bidder.

With David Storch and co now in situ, Bannan has made his return to the club he spent 10 and a half years at before his move last season, and Mitchell has since made the switch from Millwall to Sheffield Wednesday, too.

Bannan didn't spend long at the Den, but it's clear that his veteran nature and experience in the engine room led him to create some relationships with his fellow midfielders at the club, and he expressed his happiness at seeing Mitchell join the Owls on his Instagram story.

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Reposting the official Sheffield Wednesday announcement of Mitchell joining, Bannan commented, "My mukka🦉🤝," showing closeness between the two.

The two only started a handful of games together during the second half of last season, with the 36-year-old used primarily off the bench during his time at the Den. At Hillsborough, the two will be looking to strike a partnership in the middle for the whole campaign.

Barry Bannan and Billy Mitchell could be Sheffield Wednesday's starting midfield pivot in League One

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With Sheffield Wednesday heading into the summer in desperate need of plenty of reinforcement following a year when their senior squad was gutted, many have been wondering how the new-look Owls will line up next season.

Henrik Pedersen's side prevailed in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Championship outfit Preston North End on Saturday, in which the Danish boss opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation from the off, according to the Sheffield Star.

How do you think Sheffield Wednesday will line up on the opening day at Leyton Orient? Let us know in the comments.

Fellow new recruit Callum Slattery started in the attacking midfield role, indicating that he won't be alongside Bannan in the pivot roles next season, which many thought the former Motherwell man could be.

Instead, the stronger first half XI saw Bannan partner Nathaniel Chalobah, who is training with the Owls, despite being released from his contract at the end of last season. Mitchell, obviously, didn't feature, as he was announced the same day.

So, if Pedersen does opt for a similar setup as the new season begins, there's a high chance that Mitchell will partner Bannan, with Slattery pulling the strings further forward.

The two former Millwall men will already have that relationship, which will be a big bonus for what will be a starting eleven filled mainly with debutants come the League One opener against Leyton Orient on August 15. Before then, they welcome Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup first round for the second straight year on August 8.