Amid ongoing off-field turmoil and financial problems, Sheffield Wednesday lost a number of key players during the final summer under Dejphon Chansiri.
The Owls were hit with a four-window transfer fee ban as a punishment for the multiple late payments of wages, while a host of free transfer and loan deals collapsed this summer after being blocked by the EFL, and that left manager Henrik Pedersen with a threadbare squad doomed for relegation this season, particularly with a points deductions looming.
Wednesday supporters were fearful for the future of their club, but it was not always this way under Chansiri, who spent big in the early stages of his ownership in a bid to achieve his target of reaching the Premier League.
One of the Owls’ best transfer dealings over the past decade was the signing of Fernando Forestieri from Watford for a fee of £3 million in the summer of 2015, but despite the impact he made at Hillsborough, Chansiri may wish he had cashed in on the forward.
Sheffield Wednesday struck transfer gold with Fernando Forestieri, Watford deal
Forestieri scored 21 goals and provided 23 assists in 92 appearances for Watford, and he was part of the side that won promotion to the Premier League in the 2014-15 campaign, so his signing looked to be a big coup for Wednesday as they began their rebuild under new head coach Carlos Carvalhal.
The £3 million fee the Owls paid for Forestieri soon looked like a bargain as he lit up Hillsborough with his performances in his debut season at the club, and he scored a stunning 15 goals and provided eight assists in 39 appearances to help Carvalhal’s men to the play-off final, where they were beaten by Hull City.
Forestieri’s performances that season have ensured that, to this day, many Wednesday supporters still regard him as one of the most talented players ever to have worn the shirt, but his relationship with the fan base soon became strained.
Just one week into the following season, Forestieri controversially refused to play for the Owls in their away game at Norwich City amid reported transfer interest from Derby County and Newcastle United, leaving many supporters furious.
Forestieri was reintegrated back into the squad after apologising and describing his actions as “unprofessional and unacceptable”, and he went on to score 12 goals and register five assists in 38 games to help Wednesday to another play-off finish, but they missed out on promotion for the second consecutive season, this time losing to Huddersfield Town at the semi-final stage.
Despite Forestieri signing a new three-and-a-half year contract with the Owls in January 2017, his future was again the subject of speculation that summer, and Chansiri had a big decision to make after receiving a significant bid from Fulham.
Fernando Forestieri, Fulham transfer mistake will still haunt Dejphon Chansiri amid Sheffield Wednesday turmoil
The Sun claimed in the summer of 2017 that Fulham had made a £12 million bid for Forestieri, who was said to have fallen out with some of his teammates and staff at Wednesday, but the offer was rejected as Chansiri wanted more for his star forward.
At the time, Chansiri would likely have faced a strong backlash from supporters for selling Forestieri to a promotion rival, but in hindsight, the Owls chief may look back at his decision to turn down Fulham’s bid as one of the biggest mistakes of his tenure, particularly given his current financial plight.
After scoring 27 goals in his first two years at Hillsborough, Forestieri netted just 13 times in the following three seasons, and he did not play more than 27 games in a single campaign as injuries began to plague him.
Forestieri did still produce occasional moments of magic, such as his delightful long-range strike against Norwich in 2019, but they were few and far between in the latter part of his time at the club, and it was, therefore, little surprise when the former Italy youth international was released at the end of his contract in 2020.
After knocking back a £12 million bid in 2017, it would surely have been agonising for Chansiri to see Forestieri depart for free just three years later, especially considering his lack of contribution on the pitch during that time, but the situation sums up the poor business decisions that have characterised his reign as Wednesday owner and explains how the club have ended up in their present predicament.
In fact, the departure of striker Lucas Joao to Reading for a fee of £5 million in 2019 remains the club’s only significant sale under Chansiri, which is quite remarkable given the wealth of talent they have had on their books over the past decade, and some of the sizeable transfer bids they have received for some of their stars.
Forestieri’s performances in his first season at Hillsborough have earned him a place in Owls history, but the club’s future could have been a lot brighter if Chansiri cashed in on him when he had the chance; perhaps one of his earliest mistakes at the helm.
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