In August it will be exactly 10 years since the midfield man made the switch to Hillsborough, and it’s safe to say his time at the club has been a rollercoaster. It’s included a relegation, a memorable promotion and some incredible goals, and now he leads the Owls out every week as club captain and in their top 10 appearance-makers of all time.
But from an outside perspective there have been moments where fans weren’t sure whether their ‘wee Scottish man’ would remain in blue and white, with clubs such as Brentford having shown interest in the past, and when previous contracts have been expiring there was concern that he might move on.
For Bannan, though, he insists that that has never been the case, with the 35-year-old shutting down any talk before it even got past the enquiry stage. He says he’s never wanted to leave.
“I think my agents probably hate me,” he told the All Wednesday show with a wry smile. “Because I’ve never entertained a move – as crazy as that might sound. Obviously my agents have been to me before and told me that there are clubs interested in me, but it’s never once been a conversation with them to go and see what’s in it. I just get on with it.
“They obviously have to tell me, that’s their job, but it’s not something I’ve entertained because I’ve always had a goal at this club that I set for myself. I’ve always enjoyed it here.
“So because I’ve never entertained it, nothing’s ever got to a point where it’s been close… I’ve just left it in the background. Maybe my agents were fuming with me at the time, but I’ve never wanted to leave, ever. Not at any point in my career here.”
Bannan is just six games away from overtaking the great Don Megson on 442 appearances in Owls colours, and he’ll be hoping to reach that milestone before the final whistle is blown at the end of this season.
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