Alex Neil has admitted the signing of Sheffield Wednesday icon Barry Bannan is a move solely for the here and now – and the Millwall boss has no interest in talking Owls any longer.
Bannan made the switch in a flurry of headlines, bringing to an end a near 11-year association with the club during which he became a club legend and led the side as captain. His departure received the appropriate response from the club and Wednesday fan base, who paid tribute to the Scotland international for his immense contribution to the Owls.
The 36-year-old signed an 18-month contract with the Lions and is in-line to make his debut at The Den tomorrow against his old foes Sheffield United. Bannan was pictured in training wearing a number 67 – which some have taken as a silent nod to Wednesday’s year of inception.
Neil has been an outspoken fan of Bannan’s for a number of years and reacting to a question about his confidence that the veteran midfielder wanted to be a Millwall player after his emotional exit from Hillsborough made clear he was done talking about Wednesday and was looking forward to seeing what he can offer in the capital.
“He didn’t want to make the move he wouldn’t be here,” Neil said. “A lot has been made of Sheffield Wednesday and I get it, but if I’m being honest my focus is on what Barry does for us from this point onwards. I don’t want to talk about Sheffield Wednesday much more to be honest. Because it’s not my concern.
“We’re pleased, obviously. I think it’s been well documented for a while now so it’s good to get that deal over the line. It gives us an extra bit of quality, experience, a bit of know-how for the run-in. It’s a good bit of business.”
The move to Millwall has offered Bannan a return to the reimbursement he is entitled to and gives him one last shot at the Premier League promotion he missed out on with Wednesday a decade ago. The signing of a 36-year-old was always going to raise questions at Championship level, but Neil made clear the opportunity to sign a player of Bannan’s undoubted second tier quality was one he wasn’t going to pass-up.
He said: “We’re fairly wary that we want to promote our own young players and give them game time and those things, but I think our immediate situation merits the fact that we want to focus on what the next 18 or 19 games look like. That takes precedence over our long-term strategy. I think just now we’re in a really good spot and anything that comes in right now to help us is welcome and I think Barry’s experience and quality on the edge of the box, left foot, picking passing and set plays and goals, that’s going to be helpful for us.”
Leave a Reply