Sheffield Wednesday Digest: Why Owls rejected Millwall bid for Josh Windass as Barry Bannan causes stir over 'talks' comment

Bannan hasn’t played for Scotland since 2017, under Gordon Strachan, but many of his former international teammates have given themselves a chance of making it through to the next round if they beat Croatia at Hampden tonight.

And Bannan told BBC Scotland: “I’m delighted, because I’m a fan first and foremost. If you’re not a player, you’re a fan, and it’s your country - and you’re patriotic and proud.

“There’s no jealously there on my side, I’m just glad that we’re watching a major tournament and that we’re there. It gives us something to support, and the boys are doing us proud. Hopefully that continues.”

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Owls reject Millwall’s bid for Windass

Millwall are going to have to work harder to test Sheffield Wednesday’s resolve on Josh Windass, with The Star led to believe that their first bid has been rejected.

The Star revealed last week that the Lions, who are one of several clubs to have shown an interest in signing the Owls attacker, however the actual value of the bid is as yet unknown.

It is understood that Wednesday swiftly rebuffed Millwall’s first offer not long after it came in, and it would appear that it’s going to take a much-improved bid for them to even consider selling the 27-year-old.

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Bannan: Owls ‘not a great place to be at minute’

Barry Bannan admits that Sheffield Wednesday is ‘not a great place’ to be in at the moment, but says he’s looking forward to getting back on Friday.

Bannan reaffirmed his commitment to the club back in February, a move that shocked many Wednesdayites given his stature in the Championship and increasing likelihood of relegation into League One.

The worst did happen in the end, and the Owls dropped into the third tier on the final day of the season, but the Wednesday skipper had said previously that there was no relegation clause that meant he would definitely be on his way out of Hillsborough.

“It’s a bit up in the air at the minute, there’s a lot of people leaving behind the scenes and stuff,” Bannan said.

"It’s not a great place to be at the minute, but once I get back in on Friday and have talks, we’ll find out what I’m going to be doing next season.”

Owls’ pre-season plans take shape

Sheffield Wednesday’s players will be back in for pre-season testing on Friday before heading out to Wales to undergo a training camp with their manager, Darren Moore.

Moore, who is now recovered from his battle with COVID-19, has been working hard behind the scenes in the build-up to the 2021/22 campaign, however there have been plenty of the off-the-field issues that have no doubt made life quite difficult.

The Owls have only confirmed one preseason game up to now – against Celtic on July 7th – however have previously said that other fixtures will be confirmed in due course as they finalise plans for the weeks leading up to their League One opener in August.

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Manager delighted as Owls ‘target’ signs new deal

Former Sheffield Wednesday striker Ryan Lowe admitted his delighted after reported Owls target Luke Jephcott put pen to paper on a new contract with Plymouth Argyle.

A move for Jephcott from an Owls perspective was always going to be tough given their financial situation at present, and the forward’s new two-year deal would make it even more difficult if they were to try and challenge other potential suitors for his signature.

For Lowe, who is now manager of Argyle, he’s pleased that one of his star players will not be seeing his deal run down ahead of what could be a key 2021/22 campaign for the Pilgrims.

“That’s a statement of intent from me, my staff and the board of directors that we have seen the qualities he has got and let’s reward it,” Lowe said. “Yeah, we don’t want a prized asset, if you like, to run down his contract.”