‘Sheffield Wednesday set to lose star trio after latest off-field nightmare’: ‘Travesty’
Sheffield Wednesday could be set to lose a further three players amid owner Dejphon Chansiri’s financial mismanagement.
Wednesday have been charged with multiple breaches of the EFL’s regulations after Chansiri failed to pay player and staff wages in May.
The Owls find themselves in a precarious position off the field, having landed a comfortable 12th-place finish in the Championship this term.
Wednesday supporters have called for Chansiri to leave the South Yorkshire club, while their financial predicament is having a detrimental effect on their preparations for next season.
Barry Bannan among three players who could leave Sheffield Wednesday amid Chansiri chaos
While Chansiri failed to pay his player wages last month, right-back Pol Valentin will join Championship rivals Preston North End on a free transfer in July, while Michael Ihiekwe has agreed terms with League One side Blackpool and will move to the Lancashire club when his Owls deal expires.
According to the Sheffield Star [5 June], Barry Bannan, Callum Paterson, and Akin Famewo, who have been offered new contracts by Wednesday, may have to depart Hillsborough courtesy of an EFL-imposed embargo which is set to restrict the South Yorkshire club’s squad size to 23 players.
Charlton Athletic want to sign Famewo on a free transfer, which would offer the 26-year-old the chance to play for a more financially stable Championship club.
The Sheffield Star’s Joe Crann posted on X: “It’s obviously not the biggest concern at the moment, considering the future of the club is at risk, but if Barry Bannan were to end up leaving SWFC because of this shambles, it’d be an absolute travesty.”
Football Insider verdict
Barry Bannan exit would be gutting for Sheffield Wednesday
As alluded to by Crann, although Wednesday have plenty of problems currently, it would be an especially hard pill for the Hillsborough outfit to swallow if Bannan left amid the Championship side’s financial hardship.
| Barry Bannan stats | Championship 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 41 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 5 |
The former Aston Villa man joined the Owls from Crystal Palace in 2015 and has gone on to become a modern-day hero at Hillsborough, making almost 450 appearances.
Bannan helped Sheffield Wednesday reach the Championship playoffs in 2016 and 2017, before helping them clinch promotion from League One following an outstanding individual campaign in the third tier in which he notched seven goals and 13 assists.
While the former Scotland international has served the South Yorkshire club incredibly well for a decade, it would be heartbreaking for supporters to see him leave Wednesday courtesy of the current financial mismanagement overseen by Chansiri.
Furthermore, his exit would make on-field matters significantly more difficult for the Owls next season.