Sheffield Wednesday's new captain revealed following Barry Bannan's departure
Liam Palmer has been confirmed as the new captain of Sheffield Wednesday following Barry Bannan’s departure.
Palmer is the longest-serving player at the club, and after Bannan left for Millwall this week Henrik Pedersen has said that it was ‘natural’ that the defender would take over the role as skipper for the rest of the season.
Only three players in the history of the Owls have played more games than ‘Palms’ has, and his manager pointed to his climb up the ranks at Middlewood Road as one of the reasons why he is seen as the perfect choice to lead the team out from now on.
Liam Palmer is Sheffield Wednesday’s new captain
Speaking to The Star, Pedersen said, “I think with Barry and Liam, it’s not normal to have two players who have been here for such a long time. Two players to whom the club means so much. With Barry leaving, it was natural that Liam should take over the captaincy. He’s been here the longest of everyone, and he has a fantastic understanding - from being a little boy himself to bringing the boys from his academy.
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“He has that understanding of the different levels in our club, and he’s really good to speak and advise the young guys about what it means to be a professional footballer - not only in general, but specifically for Sheffield Wednesday… He’s a really good leader.”
Meanwhile, in terms of how the 34-year-old found out about the decision, the Owls boss said, “He was in my office in the morning, and I just asked him if he was ready to be captain - and of course he was. Then, before the offensive presentation of the game plan, I told the other players that he was going to be the new captain.”
Wearing the armband is nothing new for Palmer, who has captained Wednesday on numerous occasions over the years, but when he leads the team out on Saturday afternoon against Wrexham it will be the first time he does so as outright skipper. As ‘one of our own’, that’s a pretty big deal.