Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell confirms Hillsborough departure

Any hope of a Hillsborough return for Bailey Peacock-Farrell looks to have been quashed as the goalkeeper said his goodbyes via social media. The 25-year-old spent the season on-loan in Sheffield from Premier League side Burnley, making 47 appearances in all competitions and keeping 17 clean sheets.

The Northern-Ireland international played a vital role as the Owls finished fourth and qualified for the League One play-offs, ultimately losing in heartbreaking fashion to a Patrick Roberts injury-time winner for Sunderland.

The message was clear from the off that Burnley were loaning Peacock-Farrell out with the intention to develop and then bring into the first-team picture, having signed the keeper from Leeds United in 2019.

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And the on-loan Owls stopper confirmed as much on his Instagram, writing: ”Great club. Great fans. Great team. It’s a shame we didn’t achieve the target that what was planned. Good luck next year. Thanks for having me #swfc "

But promotion to the Championship may have given the Clarets something to think about, with the second-tier the next obvious stage for development. Peacock-Farrell may well be playing there anyway, with Burnley deep in a relegation battle.

Darren Moore will have to prioritise finding someone to replace the everpresent Peacock-Farrell, with back-up keeper Joe Wildsmith also looking to move on from Hillsborough come the end of his contract in the summer.

The Owls manager may look to out-on-loan Cameron Dawson, who impressed massively as a key part of the Exeter City side that won promotion to League One. Dawson started 45 of the 46 league games, keeping 18 clean sheets as part of