Passes, Scotland and Slavisa Jokanovic: Who is Sheffield Wednesday signing George Byers?

The 25-year-old is a relative unknown to many Wednesday fans.

So what do we know about him? We took a look so you don’t have to.

Who is he?

Essex-born George Byers is a 25-year-old central midfielder known for his passing ability. Scouting reports suggest he can play in a deep-lying playmaker role – which he has done more recently in his career – or bound about between both boxes.

He has signed for Sheffield Wednesday and in doing so became the Owls’ ninth summer addition in what is fast becoming a revolution under Darren Moore.

What’s he done?

Byers truly started out at the Watford academy having spent time with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

A highly-rated teenager, he quickly got international recognition in the form of youth caps for Scotland at under-16 and under-17 level, for whom he qualifies through the nationality of both parents, who are from Glasgow.

Having made only a handful of appearances he moved on to Swansea City in 2016 citing a lack of opportunities following the Hornets’ promotion to the Premier League.

He made 56 league appearances across five seasons, picking up particular plaudits for his efforts in the 2019/20 season, but fell down the pecking order in South Wales and spent part of last season on loan at Portsmouth.

How will he fit in at Wednesday?

There’s a fair bit of competition there already and Byers’ addition only makes things even more competitive.

He’s keen to play first team football and isn’t just about passing, having spent time working on the ‘uglier’ side of the game in recent years.

“It was just about doing the uglier sides of the game if you like; challenging for headers, picking up loose balls,” he said back in 2019.

“I like to think people know what I can do with the ball, but there are two sides to the game and you have to be able to do them both if you want to be successful.

What’s this about Jokanovic?

Though he’s operating on the other side of the Steel City divide now, the fact is, Byers owes Slavisa Jokanovic a fair bit.

While just a teenager at Watford in January 2015, the Serb handed Byers his debut bow in a 5-0 Championship routing of Charlton Athletic having taken a shine to him in training.

“He was a really good communicator,” Byers later said on Jokanovic. “He made clear what he wanted from you, he was committed to trying to play good football and I will always be grateful for the chance he gave me.”

And he’s a football obsessive?

Oh aye. In a 2020 interview, he said: “I love the game, I don’t really switch off from it even now.

“If I go home and there’s a game on, I want to watch it. Sometimes that’s to try and pick things up and learn, but quite often it’s also just about the enjoyment I get from it.”

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