BBC pundit Carlton Palmer has admitted that he remains confident that Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan will stay at the club next season.
The Lowdown: Missing out on promotion
Despite successfully securing a place in the top six in League One, Darren Moore’s side suffered a heart-breaking 2-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of Sunderland in the play-off semi-final, meaning that they will be playing in the third tier of English football for at least another campaign.
Since the game, this has caused plenty of speculation surrounding the 31-year-old’s future, who might understandably have aspirations to play at a higher level than the club have been resigned to for next term.
The Latest: Palmer makes Bannan transfer claim
Palmer, however, believes that no potential suitor interested would be willing to pay Bannan’s huge wage packet, so therefore thinks he will stay put at Hillsborough. He told Football League World:
“Well, let’s not kid ourselves. Right. Barry. I know Barry, he’s a lovely kid.
“He’s a nice bloke. He’s 100% Sheffield Wednesday, he’s brilliant for Sheffield Wednesday.
“But let’s not kid ourselves, who is going to pay him £27k a week. He isn’t going anywhere.
“So him saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to commit to staying at Sheffield Wednesday.’ Yes, other clubs will be interested in him, but who’s going to pay him 27 grand a week.
“With all due respect, he’s better than the league. He’s miles better. He’s been Sheffield Wednesday’s best performer.
“He’s been brilliant since he came to Sheffield Wednesday, but he’s playing in League one, right. And he’s earning that amount of money. He’s not going anywhere.”
The Verdict: Second time lucky?
It’s no secret that the midfielder was one of the main reasons why the Owls managed to reach the playoffs, having scored nine goals and provided 12 assists in League One this season, as per Transfermarkt.
Once hailed an “incredible” player by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Bannan isn’t getting any younger, and with his age, it’s hard to imagine that any club would want to take him on in any of the divisions above, so his best option would be to remain with Wednesday in the hope that they can earn promotion at the second time of asking.
If the maestro can reach the performance levels that he has over this last year, then that should give his side a strong fighting chance to compete at the top end of the table again next season.
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