Sheffield Wednesday were plunged into an unexpected crisis earlier this week when news emerged that their players were not paid on time for the month of March by owner Dejphon Chansiri.
The news emerged in the final hours of last month, with the blame being attributed to a cash-flow problem for Chansiri, who was said to be awaiting payments on debts owed to his other businesses in order to pay the wages of Wednesday staff and on-field players.
It is not the first time that controversy has surrounded the Thai businessman in relation to player wages, as he asked Wednesday supporters in October 2023 who were critical of his running of the club to stump up the £2 million needed to cover a HMRC bill as well as paying the player’s wages – something that he ended up sorting himself.
Don Goodman urges Dejphon Chansiri to seek fresh Sheffield Wednesday ownership
The most recent saga involving Chansiri wasn’t to do with wages but instead transfers, as he claimed at a fans forum in January that he had not spoken to head coach Danny Rohl since the previous month – that was halfway into a transfer window, which drew ire from Wednesday fans who had seen no movement in terms of incomings by then.
By the end of the window, the Owls signed just two players – one on loan and on a free transfer – and no sooner than two months later, wages issues have now crept back in.
And speaking exclusively to Football League World, former EFL striker turned Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes that now may be the right time for Chansiri to sell up at Hillsborough, given the latest turn of events.
“Another owner who fans are disgruntled with, and your question is “Do I think he’s the right man to take the Owls forward?” Well, I don’t think the fans do, to be honest with you,” Goodman told FLW.
“And with the way things have gone certainly over the past couple of years, it has to be an emphatic no.
“Ultimately, I think he arrived with good intentions, again he’s an owner that threw a lot of money at trying to get Sheffield Wednesday into the Premier League, a couple of play-off campaigns, but really difficult times in terms of having problems paying player wages.
“It doesn’t look good – it’s a huge club, one that I’m sure would be of interest to potential buyers and maybe the best thing for all parties would be if a new owner could buy and invest.”
Don’t expect takeover of Sheffield Wednesday anytime soon – Dejphon Chansiri seems keen to hang onto club
Even with the clear financial issues in the short-term that Chansiri is having, it’s hard to see him relinquishing control of Sheffield Wednesday anytime soon – unless things spiral out of control.
Chansiri has been at the helm for over 10 years now, and throughout that time there has been various sagas that haven’t painted him in the best of lights, but at the start of his time in South Yorkshire, he did pump plenty of money into the club.
Over time though, he has been a bit more restrictive when it comes to spending money, and you can only wonder how they would’ve done this season under Rohl if he had been given a bit more freedom.
So, if any Owls fans are hoping and praying for a takeover to happen as soon as possible, then they’re likely going to be thinking wishfully, rather than it being realistic.
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