Sheffield Wednesday Takeover U-Turn As Potential Buyer Emerges

Sheffield Wednesday have been told to steer clear of former Wigan Athletic owner Talal Al Hammad after reports suggested he could buy the club from Dejphon Chansiri.

There has been plenty of positivity surrounding the Owls on the pitch since Danny Rohl’s appointment, with the German coach transforming the team from relegation certainties to a side that will be dreaming of a top six finish.

However, the fans are growing increasingly annoyed with owner Chansiri, who has made many controversial calls in recent years.

For many, it’s time for Chansiri to go, with fans unhappy at various aspects of his leadership, including a failure to back Rohl earlier in the January window, to hefty ticket prices, among many other things.

Chansiri has repeatedly claimed he will consider a sale if someone stumps up the cash required, but, so far, that hasn’t happened.

Talal Al Hammad keen on buying Sheffield Wednesday

But, that may change in the future, as it has been claimed that Al Hammad, who previously owned Wigan, is looking into a deal to buy Wednesday.

Yet, that will concern many fans of the Yorkshire club, as the Bahraini’s time with the Latics saw them endure serious financial problems, as they were docked points, and there were very real fears over the future of Wigan.

So, when quizzed by FLW about the prospect of Al Hammad taking over at Hillsborough, it’s perhaps no surprise that fan pundit Patrick was not enthusiastic about it.

He said: “That does raise red flags, no doubt. I’m a huge critic of Chansiri and want him out of the club as soon as possible, but any sale has to be to someone you can have faith in, and who doesn’t have the record this guy has in the game.

“I’ll admit I don’t know the full goings on at Wigan, but I saw the headlines, the points deductions, the non-payment of wages, and this is something we’ve had under Chansiri, so you don’t want to hand over to someone who could possibly be bringing the same nightmare to the club.

“Unfortunately, even if he could prove himself that Wigan was a mistake and he would do better, any level of trust with this guy wouldn’t be there, even for fans like myself who want Chansiri to go.

“The one thing is, we don’t know the full setup, where the money is coming from and what sort of role he would play, and whether there would be better advice alongside him.

“But, certainly, there’s a definite fear that he wouldn’t be the man you’d want to take over. The one positive is that it kind of kills the myth that nobody is interested in buying the club, or that if we were put up for sale there would be no interest. So, maybe this story will encourage other buyers to come forward. But, initially, he’s not the man you’d be hoping for, with his antics at Wigan he has burnt a lot of bridges.”

Sheffield Wednesday must avoid Talal Al Hammad

It seems obvious that Wednesday need a change in ownership if they are to progress and fulfill their potential as a club, and most of the criticism directed towards Chansiri is deserved.

But, that doesn’t mean that it’s about selling to anyone – and Al Hammad’s role at Wigan has to be a real worry.

You would hope that someone with his past wouldn’t pass the fit and proper persons test, but irrespective of that, the fact he left Wigan in such a disastrous position means he should not be allowed to go near Sheffield Wednesday.

Whether he has the funds to make a deal remains to be seen, but all connected to the club will hope that more credible buyers come forward.