'20 years' - Barry Bannan shares Sheffield Wednesday dream as he makes David Storch admission
Barry Bannan has his sights set on a coaching career at Sheffield Wednesday once his playing career comes to an end.
Midfielder Barry Bannan has said he wants to stay at Sheffield Wednesday for another 20 years, reaffirming his interest in moving into a coaching role at Hillsborough in the future.
Bannan, who will celebrate his 37th birthday on December 1, returned to Hillsborough in July, less than six months after completing a move to Millwall. The Scot moved to The Den in January because he had received no assurances about Wednesday’s future amid the ongoing takeover process.
At the time of Bannan’s departure, a consortium led by James Bord was in pole position to take control of the Owls after being granted preferred bidder status on Christmas Eve by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor.
However, Bord’s consortium withdrew from the race to buy the club in February. Arise Capital Partners, a consortium led by David Storch, returned to the negotiating table and secured preferred bidder status the following month. The consortium completed its takeover of the Owls on May 1, bringing an end to the darkest period in the club’s history.
Bannan returned to S6 just over two months later, signing a one-year deal. The Scot now hopes to remain at Hillsborough for many more years, insisting that he expects the club to go “from strength to strength” under Storch’s ownership.
“This is my home,” Bannan told the Press Association. "In January I left, but I always knew that I would be back here one day.
"I’ll finish my football career here, whether it’s the end of this season or three, four more seasons if given the chance.
“I’d like to go into coaching, management, whatever it may be, I feel as if with my relationship with the owner that hopefully I get a chance to work here in the future as well when my career does finish.
“If I could be here ten, 20 years further down the line, it would be amazing for the whole family.
“The sky’s the limit for the club. If it keeps going the way it’s going with David in charge, I think it’ll go from strength to strength.”
Explaining why he left Wednesday in January, bringing his ten-and-a-half-year spell at Hillsborough to an end, Bannan, speaking exclusively to The Star prior to his S6 return, said: “I left on a free, so it was nothing to do with money. It was more so the future of the club that I was worried about.
“I was asking questions and, obviously, you don't get answers, and I was getting answers that I didn't really like as well at the same time. Everything that I did was for the best of the club because the club's in my heart.
“I'm passionate, I wear my heart on my sleeve and, if I don't like something, I'll say it, no matter who it is. Because, at the end of the day, I was there for the club, I'll always have the club at heart, and I'll always have the club's best interests at heart.
“So, it wasn't to do with money or the club having to sell me or forcing me out. It was just, as I said at the time, with everything that was happening, I didn't like the direction that the club was going [in].
“Looking back, I obviously wanted to stay, but I got a chance that I couldn't really turn down at the same time. They were fighting for promotion in the Championship.
“The World Cup was coming up as well, and that was probably my last real chance to make the World Cup in my career. So I thought, ‘I've got to give it a go’.”