Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan has agreed to extend his deal at the club, according to Dom Howson of Yorkshire Live. The Scotland international was in the final six months of his contract but Wednesday have now made a breakthrough in discussions and expect him to remain at the club.
Barry Bannan Set to Stay at Sheffield Wednesday
One Staying, One Going
Bannan staying put is a big boost for Wednesday given that fellow midfielder Liam Shaw is set to depart the club.
The 19-year-old has agreed a pre-contract deal with Scottish champions Celtic and will complete the move in the summer, despite Wednesday being in talks with his representatives over a new contract at Hillsborough.
Despite his age, Shaw has appeared regularly for the Owls this season, making 12 league appearances and finding the net in the 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.
Bannan, a key player for Wednesday, now looks to be staying put, though. While this is great news for Wednesday, especially considering Bannan was the subject of interest from Brentford late last year, the midfielder himself was keen to remain with the club.
Last month, he said: “I’ve made it clear what I want to do, I want to stay at the club.
“We’re nearly there so hopefully there will be some good news in the coming week or two.”
Form Improving
Despite losing last night to Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday’s league form overall has been improving under caretaker manager Neil Thompson.
The Owls started the season on -12 points (though subsequently had this halved, thus gaining six points) and are now well clear of bottom side Wycombe Wanderers, who appear to be cut adrift at the foot of the table.
Wednesday currently sit 12th in the form table based on the last six matches – right in the middle with three wins, zero draws and three losses. It’s certainly an improvement and, were it not for the six points they were docked, they would be sat fairly comfortably in mid-table.
They have been without a permanent manager since the departure of Tony Pulis at the end of last year, but with the way things are going under Thompson, it may not be worth changing the leadership again for now.
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