Sheffield Wednesday battleground already look strong as star man makes fascinating Callum Slattery comparison
Barry Bannan is back at Sheffield Wednesday - and seems encouraged by areas of the redevelopment of the squad.
There remains a great deal of work to be done on Sheffield Wednesday’s summer rebuild effort - but one vitally important area of the line-up already looks hot to trot at League One level.
The Owls have brought in nine new faces with more to come as the club’s recruitment team go about re-stocking several positions - with attack a central focus amid encouragement on the pursuit of Hull City forward Mason Burstow. Success in League One previously has seen Wednesday built around solid ‘midfield threes’ in years gone by - and hopes have risen that they are well-placed to sprout a new one thanks to the arrival of new friends and old.
Barry Bannan was the creative hub of their third tier heartlands as Wednesday entertained back-to-back play-off qualifications in 2022 and 2023. In both of those seasons he had fan favourite George Byers alongside him, with the pair joined by first Massimo Luongo and then Will Vaulks.
There were variations of a theme along the way of course, with the likes of Josh Windass or Callum Paterson sometimes preferred as an advanced midfielder in matches Wednesday expected a great deal of the ball. But with Bannan back in the fold after a sojourn to Millwall, midfield colleagues Billy Mitchell and Callum Slattery would look well-placed to create a standout trio blessed with different profiles and playing styles.
A behind-the-scenes look at training and at their pre-season run-out against Stoke over the weekend suggests a triumvirate that would provide snarl and ball-winning ability alongside the sort of technical quality needed to breach defences.
Speaking to The Star, vice-captain Bannan agreed that the midfield looks strong at the outset, but made no suggestion he feels their place in the side is set: “A lot of games are won in the midfield, so you need to be strong in that department,” he said. “I think the three that we've got at the minute will be Billy, Slatts, we've also got Jarvis. There's players who can play in the 10. We're going to need everybody in the changing room because it's a long season.
“That three at the minute is strong three, but like I said, there's no guarantee. There's loads of people in that changing room coming on, especially the younger ones as well. That's what drives you on because it's easy to just turn up and not have any competition. When you've got competition it's there for everyone. I'm really happy with the options that we've got in that midfield at the minute. We've got a bit of everything.”
Wednesday are understood to still be considering their options in midfield ahead of a long campaign, though other areas appear to be a priority. The right side and the final third look to be positions that require further attention, while at least one other goalkeeper is being sought as well as a left-back. Central defence looks reasonably well-stocked with Ricardo Santos and Sil Swinkels providing new profiles to join the re-signed Liam Cooper, Gabriel Otegbayo and Di’Shon Bernard, whose return from a major knee injury is nearing an end, all being well.
Slattery, signed from Motherwell on a free transfer alongside departed Millwall pair Bannan and Mitchell, played as an active number 10 in the Stoke run-out and was a standout figure both in and out of possession on the day. And the Scot raised a fascinating comparison to an old Owls friend in describing his playing style.
“Slatts is actually a bit similar to Josh (Windass) in a way,” Bannan continued. “He’s got that energy and likes to run in behind, likes to get on the ball and he’s very good technically. So it's similar profiles there. Then (in holding midfield) there’s Jarvis, Billy, Sean's played in there, Palms has played in there. So we've got loads of options, they look really strong in there at the minute.
“We've got a lot of good defenders as well who are coming into the same situation as the midfielders. They're all going to have to fight for their positions. So it's good, it's healthy for the club.”