Signs there on Sheffield Wednesday captaincy confirmation heading into new campaign
Sheffield Wednesday are heading into a new era.
The signs are there on who will be the man to take the captain’s armband into Sheffield Wednesday’s bold new era - though absolute confirmation is yet to be had.
The Owls played their first public-facing pre-season friendly of the summer at Hallam FC on Tuesday night as a very youthful Wednesday set-up saw two different line-ups play each half in a goalless draw. Teenage starlet Will Grainger was the most senior of the players who featured. First team players spent time mingling with fans ahead of the run-out in what was a sold-out and community-focused fixture.
Wednesday will take on Preston North End behind closed doors on Saturday before making the trip to Budapset for a second away day training camp. A meet-up with Stoke City will take place the following weekend in Austria.
The matter of club captaincy heading into the new campaign is yet to be publicly confirmed, though it would appear to remain in the hands of club legend Liam Palmer, who took the armband on after Barry Bannan’s departure to Millwall and led the Owls through the second half of a brutal campaign. Following Bannan’s return, there had been some speculation among supporters over whether the Scot would resume the captaincy duties he held from the summer of 2020 until his exit in January.
Neither player featured at Hallam, but The Star understands that in their behind-closed-doors run-out with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, Palmer performed captaincy duties and wore the armband in a half in which both he and Bannan featured. Other captaincy duties are also believed to have continued being carried out by the 34-year-old, who is great friends with Bannan having shared the majority of their careers together.
The defender is hugely well respected throughout the club and despite such difficult circumstances spoke of his pride at leading Wednesday through the latter stages of the campaign, having supported the club since he was a boy.
There have been mentions of a more formulated senior players group heading into the new season, with a host of senior players now new to the club and pre-existing set to take on roles in managing the changing room. Something similar formed naturally last season, though it is understood this will be more defined heading into 2026/27.
Though all signs suggest Palmer, second on the club’s all-time appearance list, will lead the Owls into the new dawn, official confirmation of the captaincy decision is yet to arrive. Speaking to The Star on Tuesday, assistant coach Pete Shuttleworth said: “I don't know what's been decided on that yet, that is a question for the manager. I don't know what will happen with that. Obviously it is only week one of him (Bannan) being back.
“I guess that will be resolved as we go along but I do know Liam (Palmer) stepped in really well last year and led the team and he is a really good ambassador for this club as well, so we have got two really good people there. Whatever the manager decides or whatever the leadership group decides going into the season will come out soon.”