"He'll get goals.." Barry Bannan excited by Sheffield Wednesday's new-look midfield

Darren Moore’s rebuilding Owls have opened the season with 0-0 draws against Championship Huddersfield and then fellow promotion hopefuls Charlton Athletic.

No fewer than 12 new players have burst through the doors at Hillsborough as part of the club’s largest squad transition in recent memory.

Three of those players are senior central midfielders and club captain Bannan has played alongside two; Dennis Adeniran and Lewis Wing, in both their tightly-contested matches so far.

With the likes of Massimo Luongo and third new face George Byers waiting in the wings, competition for a starting place is fierce in the Wednesday midfield.

Asked what he had made of Wing’s start in an Owls shirt, Bannan said he hoped he would be able to add something that has been missing too often from the Owls’ efforts in recent seasons; threat in the final third.

“He’s a good player,” he said. “I knew him a bit before because he was with my agency. I knew about him and spoke to my agent about him.

“He’ll get goals, which is what we need. Once he gets up and running he’ll help the strikers and get goals. I’ve enjoyed playing with him.”

One new player to have caught the eye especially has been 22-year-old Dennis Adeniran, brought in on a free transfer after his departure from Everton earlier this summer.

And Bannan commented on how important it is that while their starts have been commendable, the pressure is on to stay in the team given the competition behind them.

“He’s a young boy, really energetic and he’s doing well,” he said.

“The three of us need to keep playing well because we’ve got Mass [Luongo] and Byers wanting our shirts, so it’s up to us to keep those shirts.

“It’s good to have competition and to know that if you don’t do well, you’re out of the team.

“Dennis is a young boy and my job is to help him. It’s good to have his energy and quality.”