The Sheffield Wednesday gem that emerged amid a hectic transfer window: View | OneFootball

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Given the current worries surrounding Sheffield Wednesday and how they might fund the January transfer window, it is easy to forget just how active the club have been in the past.

Let's look back to the 2015/16 campaign, for example, when the Owls made a total of 21 signings that season.

With a big mix of permanent additions, free transfers and loanees, it was unclear how it would work out for Wednesday at the time, but in the end, the club ended up having decent success off the back of that summer.

They would go on to finish 6th in 2015/16, for example, and reach the Championship play-off final at Wembley, narrowly beaten by Hull City 1-0 and missing out on a place in the Premier League.

The following season, in 2016/17, Wednesday would improve their league position to 4th, but lost out on penalties in the play-off semi-finals to eventual promotion winners Huddersfield Town.

Clearly, to go on and have those successful seasons, a number of the above players had to perform, but one in particular addition during the summer of 2015 has gone on to be an absolute gem for the club.

Barry Bannan

We are, of course, talking about Barry Bannan, who remains an Owl to this day, and has gone on to establish himself as a club legend at Hillsborough.

Looking back, that seemed incredibly unlikely. Given that he was the 15th signing that summer, he was hardly a priority addition, and the fact that the club offered him just a one-year deal reflects that, too.

Who would have thought that eight years after his arrival on that one-year deal, that Bannan would have gone on to rack up 371 appearances and counting at the club?

What really sticks out when you look at the above numbers, too, is just how available Bannan has been for the club.

We, of course, cannot predict what will happen for the rest of the campaign, but as you can see above, only in one season for Sheffield Wednesday has Bannan not played a minimum of 41 games in all competitions.

It is remarkable when you consider that he is now 33-years-old and the gruelling nature of the EFL schedule.

Overall, Bannan was a real catch for Wednesday back in that summer of 2015, and the fact he captains the club to this day is yet another testament to that.

As is the fact that Bannan stood by the Owls when relegated to the third tier a few years ago and remained at the club, ensuring that he helped them get back up into the Championship this past summer.

Players like Bannan certainly do not come around a lot. Sheffield Wednesday fans should cherish the gem that emerged from that hectic summer back in 2015.