'Why did emotional Bannan exit unfold like this?'

As I was sat watching a tearful Barry Bannan waving goodbye to the Sheffield Wednesday fans, it all felt a little bit surreal.

The Scot had just completed his 477th appearance for the Owls. Why, after such a long and popular spell at the club, was this unfolding like this?

We know he told team-mates prior to the game this was going to be his final match. Multiple reports said he was bound for Millwall, with the Telegraph even reporting a medical had been scheduled with the London club for Sunday.

Yet on Saturday morning there had been no official approach from Millwall. I checked with sources just before kick-off. No change. Still no approach.

Even with that information, which was confirmed by the Sheffield Star, none of us were viewing this through the lens that a move would not happen. Clearly it would. That was confirmed with the emotional full-time scenes.

But it's a curious set of events, isn't it? A club legend announcing his departure to team-mates, with that being broadly reported, there being an emotional farewell to a small number of away fans and all the while the club he was said to be joining had not made an official approach.

Meanwhile, the club seemingly had to tiptoe around the situation pre-Bristol City. There were no posts on X marking the occasion, no tributes, no ability to focus on the event that had been widely reported. What could they do? Nothing, because there had been no approach.

After the game, manager Henrik Pedersen said Bannan wanted to leave Wednesday, citing "the whole situation" as the reason. He also said the club captain and his representative were speaking to the club to find a resolution.

This has been a hellish season for the players. The squad is threadbare and no doubt they are physically and mentally drained.

It should also be noted that when Bannan committed to return to Wednesday in the summer, he did so within a financial framework that limited his earning ability. He's been playing for months for a wage far lower than he would have got elsewhere.

But just like that, a brilliant Owls career is seemingly over.

A rare partnership between supporters and a beloved player ended in the rain 180 miles from Sheffield, with about 1,800 fans there to see it and the whole thing playing out like a badly-kept secret.

Why did Bannan want to leave the club now? Is it simply the toll this miserable season is taking on him and his team-mates, or is there more to it?

Why has a move apparently been arranged without actual contact between any clubs, with no permission given for talks to take place? Was there a better way to do this?

Given Bannan's history with Wednesday, I think it's fair to ask these questions. It's the latest gut-punch for Wednesday fans in a season that is testing them in a way that can only be described as deeply unfair.