Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday future up in the air as proposed takeover deal falls by the wayside.
The future of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club remains very much up in the air, just a few weeks before the season starts.
Wednesday are enduring a very turbulent summer that has consisted of embargoes, a three-window fee restriction, managerial confusion and talk of a potential takeover – all on top of the ongoing financial debacle engulfing the club.
There was a sense last week that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, with BBC Radio Sheffield reporting that ‘an agreement has been reached with at least one prospective buyer for Sheffield Wednesday’, while this publication understands that an offer deemed acceptable by Dejphon Chansiri had been submitted.
It’s understood that it was suggested to key figures at the club that a sale was drawing closer, so much so that the brakes were put on with regards to Djeidi Gassama’s move to Rangers, with the potential new owners eager to try and make sure that he remained a Wednesday player.
Sheffield Wednesday are up for sale, but…
Things have gone quiet since then, though, and now The Star is led to believe that any progress has completely stalled, with that proposed takeover – from a consortium whose identity remains unnamed – believed to have fallen by the wayside.
It’s the latest twist in the tale at Hillsborough, and today’s report comes the day after the club managed to pay up the money that was owed to all of their players and staff, with funds that are believed to have come from the sale of Gassama, which ultimately ended up going through.
The reasons for the collapse of the deal are unknown at this stage, but The Star understands that there remains a number of parties interested in taking control of the club from Dejphon Chansiri – who is now willing to sell ‘to the right people with the right credentials’.
Wednesday may have settled their debts to players and staff, but it remains to be seen whether that will extend to the money owed to HMRC and other clubs, both of which need to be sorted in order to lift their embargo and the wage cap that comes with it.
There are several interested parties
Dejphon Chansiri has owned Sheffield Wednesday since 2015.
Dejphon Chansiri has owned Sheffield Wednesday since 2015.
It’s understood that lots of talks remain ongoing behind the scenes as interested parties seek to strike a deal with Chansiri, but whether that can be done – and how quickly – is very much up for debate.
With the next payday just a couple of weeks away, there will of course be question marks as to whether the club is able to avoid wage issues once again, however the hope is that further potential transfer fees and other forms of income may help in that regard.
Though wages have been paid, Wednesday are still a club in crisis. Chansiri’s tenure as owner and chairman looks to have passed the point of no return in terms of fan opinion, and the hope will be that further progress can be made with other prospective buyers in the coming weeks that would offer supporters a chance to stop fearing for the future of their club.
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