Sheffield Wednesday set to sign “smooth” star before deadline day, he’s Bannan 2.0
Sheffield Wednesday set to sign “smooth” star before deadline day, he’s Bannan 2.0
Owls would have been delighted with the latest development involving loan hero
Shea Charles earlier in the window,
with the Southampton loanee now staying put until the end of the Championship season.
After all, he had become an instant fan favourite at Hillsborough with his full-blooded showings from the
middle of the park, but Wednesday supporters will still be craving some more movement in through the
door before Monday’s deadline.
Their thirst could soon be quenched if the ongoing rumour mill is anything to go by,
as the Owls remain keen on landing this experienced midfield talent to further bolster options centrally.
Wednesday interested in signing former EFL star
Wednesday fans would have been waiting with bated breath over developments surrounding midfield target Stuart Armstrong, with reports from Canada suggesting that the Scotsman was going to choose the Blades over the Owls.
Those claims have since been rubbished by Sheffield Star journalist Danny Hall who suggests any imminent move involving the 32-year-old linking up with Chris Wilder’s side are ‘wide of the mark’.
Fellow Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller has stated that Danny Rohl is keen to land the ex-Southampton man having worked beside him at St. Mary’s, amidst interest now being ‘intensified’.
Everyone connected to Hillsborough will hope this move can get over the line before the fast-approaching deadline, with Armstrong perhaps going on to be Wednesday’s next version of Barry Bannan as the current Vancouver Whitecaps man has proved himself to be a stylish operator in the Championship previously.
Wednesday’s next Barry Bannan
After all, the £39k-per-week star’s efforts last season donning Southampton red and white helped then-boss Russell Martin achieve playoff glory, with goals and assists plenty coming from the experienced head.
Indeed, Armstrong would finish the successful campaign with an impressive five goals and seven assists next to his name from 42 league outings, with Martin even labelling his former number 17 as a “smooth” player to watch when at the peak of his powers.
| Armstrong’s league numbers (23/24) vs Bannan’s (24/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat – per 90 mins* | Armstrong | Bannan |
| Games played | 42 | 28 |
| Goals scored | 5 | 4 |
| Assists | 7 | 3 |
| Touches* | 58.3 | 63.9 |
| Accurate passes* | 35.9 (85%) | 38.7 (80%) |
| Ball recoveries* | 3.5 | 5.3 |
| Total duels won* | 2.7 | 3.1 |
| Stats by Sofascore | ||
Looking at the table above, there are many similarities between both Armstrong and Bannan in the ways they operate centrally, with both players in question adept at getting involved in attacks, as the modern-day Wednesday great already has seven goal contributions next to his name this season compared to Armstrong’s output of 12.
But, Bannan could well still get the nod to start over Armstrong if the ex-Saints star was to relocate back to England owing to his strengths in recovering the ball and winning duels, alongside his obvious quality to fire home a crucial strike for Rohl’s men or deliver a killer through ball.
After all, the 32-year-old target thrived as a background figure when on the books of Southampton, with only 33 starts coming his way from 42 Championship appearances last season.
Therefore, bringing in Armstrong could give Rohl some healthy selection headaches, with Charles also unlikely to be displaced after his blistering start to life in South Yorkshire has seen him win an incredible 6.5 duels on average as a more attritional body.
Yet, much like Wednesday have become accustomed to with Bannan over the years, Armstrong could be chucked into any contest at a moment’s notice and still be able to muster up a piece of magic.
Rohl will no doubt feel strong squad depth could be key in his side still being able to sneak into those playoff positions as a dark horse, with one or two incomings potentially on the agenda now between now and Monday’s deadline.
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