Sheffield Wednesday chairman David Storch has confirmed the club would like to bring Jamie Vardy back to Hillsborough — and revealed that work is taking place behind the scenes to establish whether a deal can be made possible.
Speaking live on TalkSport ahead of Wednesday’s League One opener at Leyton Orient, Storch was asked directly about the possibility of the former Leicester City striker returning to the club where he began his youth career.
His response went significantly further than simply acknowledging Vardy as a player Wednesday admire.
"At some point I'll be able to tell a story. This might not be the right time."
"But yeah, Jamie is somebody that we would like to have in our club."
Pressed on whether that was a conversation he would like to have sooner rather than later, Storch added that Wednesday would be "thrilled" to have Vardy and indicated the primary obstacle is the restrictions currently affecting the club following its emergence from administration.
"We do have these restrictions. We're trying to figure out how to get around the restrictions to put something in front of Jamie that would make sense for him."
Restrictions proving tougher than expected
Storch also offered more detail on the constraints Wednesday have been operating under since the takeover.
The chairman acknowledged that the ownership group had not fully appreciated how difficult the restrictions would prove in practice.
"The club was handicapped. We came out of administration with certain restrictions on what we could and couldn't do."
"I was less informed in terms of how it actually would play out, and unfortunately it's played out a little harder than we expected."
Despite those limitations, Storch remains confident in the work being done by Wednesday’s recruitment operation and believes the squad will be competitive over the course of the campaign.
He told TalkSport that the club was providing Henrik Pedersen and his players with as much resource as it could within those constraints and backed the football leadership to continue finding solutions.
Bannan return had been building for months
Storch also revealed that Barry Bannan’s return to Wednesday had been in the works considerably longer than supporters may have realised.
The chairman said he had remained in contact with Bannan from December, well before the ownership change was completed, and that the midfielder had made his desire to return clear once Storch’s group looked increasingly likely to acquire the club.
"Barry and I have been in touch pretty much ever since we entered the picture back in December."
"As soon as it became obvious, evident that we would get the club, he expressed interest in wanting to come back as quickly as we can."
Storch said he knew a return was likely but allowed the football operation time to assess the squad before making the final decision.
"It was pretty obvious that they wanted to see Barry back in."
A chairman confident in the direction of travel
The TalkSport appearance offered another glimpse into how Storch sees the rebuild at Hillsborough progressing after just over 100 days of ownership.
He described having a "steely confidence" that Wednesday are moving in the right direction, while admitting he still feels the nerves associated with seeing the new-look side begin its league campaign.
The scale of the rebuild remains considerable, both on and off the pitch, but Storch’s comments on Vardy are perhaps the clearest indication yet of the level of ambition within the new ownership.
Whether Wednesday can find a structure that satisfies both the restrictions placed upon the club and the financial realities of bringing Vardy to Hillsborough remains to be seen.
What is now clear, however, is that the interest is real.
Wednesday want Jamie Vardy and Storch says they are trying to find a way to make it possible.
Source: David Storch speaking to TalkSport Weekend Sports Breakfast, 15 August 2026.