Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan has sent out a strong ‘recruitment’ message to owner Dejphon Chansiri.
The Lowdown: Falling at the last hurdle
The Owls secured a fourth-place finish at the end of the League One campaign to book a place in the play-off semi-finals against Sunderland.
The Yorkshire outfit suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg at the Stadium of Light, and although they gave themselves a fighting chance when Lee Gregory netted an equaliser in the reverse fixture at Hillsborough, Wednesday hearts were broken by Patrick Roberts’ stoppage-time winner, meaning that Darren Moore’s side will be playing football in the third-tier once again next season.
The Latest: Listen up, Chansiri
Speaking after the 2-1 aggregate loss, Bannan stated the importance of getting the club quickly back on track and believes that the summer transfer window is the perfect opportunity to do just that. As quoted by ExaminerLive, the 32-year-old said:
“It (the club) is going in the right direction, but it is not going quick enough, to be honest. We wanted to get promoted this season, but we failed.
“But we cannot get too carried away and too dejected because we were not a million miles away. We should have got promoted, no doubt – looking at the squad.
“We have a big summer ahead now. We know we are not far away now and it is just about the right recruitment. With boys leaving and coming, it has got to be the right people that come in again. That is what we have got right over the last 12 to 18 months.
“The right people coming in who want to fight for this club and trying to get this club back to where it belongs.”
The Verdict: Bannan still the key
Following the game, there has been plenty of speculation circulating regarding Bannan’s future at the club which suggested that he might be tempted into looking elsewhere as a result of Wednesday failing to secure promotion, but the skipper has since revealed that he plans to stay at the club and is committed to helping them get back where they belong.
The £1.62m-rated talisman is an extremely valuable asset in this Owls side and played a pivotal role in helping them secure a top-six position, having made a staggering 51 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring nine goals and contributing 12 assists during that time, as per Transfermarkt.
Despite his age, the midfielder is an absolute maestro and so easily has the ability to control a game from the middle of the park, and there’s no doubt that if Wednesday do manage to keep hold of him over the summer, he will once again have a huge impact on the club’s charge for promotion next season.
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