Sheffield Wednesday wanted Conor Hourihane in January – but Owls midfielder Barry Bannan outshone his Aston Villa counterpart on Saturday.
Barnsley fans were resigned to losing captain and playmaker Connor Hourihane in the January 2017 transfer window. The star man was out of contract in the summer and The Tykes needed to sell if they were to avoid losing arguably the Championship’s standout performer on a free.
Though even the most modest Barnsley supporter would loathe to have seen Hourihane follow in the footsteps of fellow fans favourite Sam Winnall and swap Oakwell for Hillsborough – the home of bitter Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
The Star reported in January that Wednesday were hoping to rob Barnsley of arguably their two best players. In the end, however, Hourihane moved to Aston Villa instead – much to Barnsley’s relative relief.
Though the Republic of Ireland international missed a real chance to prove a point to his former suitors when Aston Villa hosted Carlos Carvalhal’s Owls on Saturday afternoon. Picturebook early goals from Adam Reach and Jordon Rhodes set Wednesday on their way to a 2-1 win in which Hourihane failed to make any sort of an impression.
And the irony will not have been lost on Villa supporters that their marquee January signing was outshone by a player the Midland rivals let go on a free.
Wednesday’s Barry Bannan ran the show in customary fashion from central midfield, his intelligent probing on the edge of the area paving the way for Rhodes’ coolly taken second at Villa Park.
The Scotland international, who started his career at Villa, completed 89 per cent of his passes and influenced the game far more than his midfield opponent Hourihane.
Villa fans, then, may be wondering whether they had been better off keeping Bannan. Wednesday supporters, however, won’t be pining too much for Hourihane.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
