Owls Star Linked with Shock Championship Exit

Wednesday Hero Set to Jump Ship to Fellow Championship Side

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Sheffield Wednesday will be relegated at the end of the season. Their points deductions and complete lack of squad depth have rendered them totally incapable of dragging themselves clear of the drop zone, and the outcome is inevitable.

The problem this now brings upon the club is that any remaining Championship-worthy players will want to jump ship, with many unwilling to operate in League One when they are clearly good enough to play above that level.

Talk of Barry Bannan's Sheffield Wednesday future is accelerating - could a return to his homeland be on the cards? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

More here 👇 https://t.co/LGKoRRvqUj#SWFC #Millwall #PNEFC #SCFC #Motherwell

— Football League World (@FootballLeagueW) January 17, 2026

However, one thing the Owls could always count on was Barry Bannan being there, but it seems his romance with the club is set to end this January, with their star midfielder linked with a raft of better-placed Championship and Scottish sides.

End of An Era

Over the years, Barry Bannan has become Mr Sheffield Wednesday himself - since moving to the club in 2015, the Scotsman has taken to the match a stunning 474 times for the club, scoring 38 goals and assisting a further 75.

As time went on, the club started to build the entire squad around him, and the more seasons the 36-year-old played, the less likely it seemed he would leave before retirement.

However, with the club plunged into financial peril, and with the threat of relegation always hanging over them, it was an inevitability that some of their key players would start to consider their future up north.

Surprisingly, Bannan was part of this group, as, despite his ever-advancing age, he shows no sign of slowing down - even this season, his tally of three goals and three assists highlights that he is still capable of operating at a high level in England’s second tier, and with relegation looming, he clearly does not want to give that up.

Unsurprisingly, most teams in the league have sat up and taken notice of the former Aston Villa and Crystal Palace man's availability.

Fourth-placed Preston, fifth-placed Millwall and eighth-placed Stoke have all entered the race for the midfielder's signature, while two Scottish Premiership outfits, including Motherwell, have also made their interest known in a bid to bring Bannan back to his home country.

Barry Bannan at Motherwell under the goat Askou would be utter cinema. https://t.co/zC3B6cpqOL

— alex (@alexjg0) January 17, 2026

Thanks to his relatively old age in football terms, Bannan’s market value sits at a measly £300,000, making him a bargain buy for whoever does eventually take him on.

While he may only have a couple of years left in his career, you know exactly what you are getting from the Scot - a self-recharging battery in the midfield; he never stops running, and his goal contribution tally speaks volumes of his creative ability.

With five clubs in the mix to sign him, and with more likely to join as the days go by, this transfer saga could be the talk of the Championship until the window finally closes.