Henrik Pedersen on Sheffield Wednesday unknowns and Barry Bannan's emotional substitution
Uncertainty surrounding the fate of the January transfer window is an obstacle Sheffield Wednesday players are battling to overcome, according to Owls boss Henrik Pedersen.
The look of the squad beyond the end of the transfer window is unknown at current, with talented teenager Yisa Alao understood to be on his way to Chelsea and talismanic skipper Barry Bannan among the players linked with transfer interest elsewhere. Further players are of interest to other clubs with Wednesday operating under the terms of administration.
A 2-0 defeat to Birmingham City extended the club’s winless run to an all-time low of 21 matches, though the Owls were competitive throughout and entered the final seven minutes of a nip-and-tuck clash level. Errors from tired young players ultimately cost them as the Blues landed their first away win since October. Speaking after the match, Pedersen expressed both pride and disappointment in how things had played out.
“The last meeting we had before we left the training ground, I told the boys how proud I am in the situation,” he told The Star. “There is a lot of thought in the head of the players, some players don’t know what happens for themselves, they don’t know what is happening for the club. How they come in every day to training, sometimes they need a little push, but they work good every day and in more or less all the games.
“When you have a question in your head, we all know the best performance is when you are in the moment. But the skills the players have together, to put all this to the side, it’s amazing. But they are very well trained in this - there has been a lot! I have big respect for the boys. It is not normal what they are doing, it is great.”
The biggest talking point of the match came with the late substitution of Bannan, who took his time leaving the field and applauded all four corners of the stadium in what could have been interpreted as an emotional goodbye. Millwall are among the clubs eyeing his signature in a transfer that would end a remarkable Owls tenure stretching over a decade.
Asked whether the substitution marked the end of Bannan’s career, Pedersen was non-committal in saying: “Barry had some little problems. I took him out and I hope Barry will stay, of course I hope. We speak every day and of course we speak about his situation, our situation. Let’s see what happens. I hope he will stay here.”