Big Sheffield Wednesday, Chansiri news emerges - Here’s 3 things potential new Owls owners must fix | OneFootball

Reports have revealed there are multiple parties interested in buying the club

As reports of a possible ownership change swirl around Sheffield Wednesday, attention has quickly turned to what the club’s next custodians must prioritise.

The challenges are significant, but so too is the potential. On and off the pitch, Wednesday remain a sleeping giant in desperate need of structural reform.

Here are three urgent areas that any incoming ownership group must address to steady the ship and build for long-term success.

Refresh the playing squad - and make it sustainable

Sheffield Wednesday entered the 24/25 season with the second-oldest squad in the division and a disproportionately high wage bill. A reactive, short-termist approach to recruitment over several seasons has left the club with an unbalanced, ageing group and a limited pool of assets with resale value.

Since arriving in October 2023, Danny Röhl has attempted to modernise the team’s playing style and bring intensity to a squad not built in his image.

However, without a sporting director, head of recruitment, or robust scouting structure behind him, many signings have been inconsistent at best - players who flatter to deceive, lacking the cohesion and planning seen at more forward-thinking clubs.

When it comes to big games, the Owls are still leaning heavily on veterans who oversaw the promotion push two seasons ago. The absence of meaningful succession planning has created a team that feels in transition, but without clear direction.

Any new ownership group must introduce a coherent recruitment strategy, centred on younger players, data-led scouting, and long-term squad building. Player trading must become a core part of the model - not just to balance the books, but to enable upward mobility on and off the pitch. Without this shift, the club will continue to rely on stopgap solutions and expensive, underperforming rebuilds.

Fix Sheffield Wednesday’s finances

Sheffield Wednesday's support base remains one of the most loyal and sizeable in the EFL, with attendances that frequently rival those of Premier League clubs. Yet despite this commercial potential, the club continues to post some of the largest operating losses in the Championship - and more worryingly, is now facing an acute cashflow crisis.

In 2023/24, the club’s pre-tax loss widened to £10.0 million, up from £7.2 million the previous year, even as revenue increased by 36% to a club-record £26.3 million.

Chairman Dejphon Chansiri has continued to personally fund shortfalls, contributing an estimated £10 million. But this model is no longer sustainable - and recent developments make clear that the financial cracks are widening.

Player and staff wages have gone unpaid in recent months. Season ticket revenue from the January 2024 early sales has reportedly already been exhausted, raising questions about how those funds have been allocated and why such a shortfall exists with months of the season still to play.

These issues suggest not just financial instability, but a deeper absence of fiscal planning, risk management, and day-to-day accountability.

Crucially, there is no evidence of a strategic financial plan. Commercial opportunities continue to be missed, and operational inefficiencies persist.

The next ownership group must urgently instil financial discipline and transparency. This means re-establishing proper financial controls, restoring cashflow health, and ensuring all revenue streams - from matchday to sponsorship - are being fully and wisely utilised.

Progress will remain out of reach until finances are brought under control and aligned with modern governance standards.

Introduce robust club governance and catch up with the rest of the league

At present, Wednesday operate without a board of directors - a basic requirement for clubs under the EFL’s rulebook. There is no sporting director to bridge the gap between football operations and ownership, no clear chain of decision-making, and no formal senior executive structure in place. In essence, all roads lead to the chairman - and that is precisely the problem.

In practice, Dejphon Chansiri has governed the club in a vacuum, relying on a tight inner circle of advisors for guidance. This culture of informality - where significant decisions are made by unelected, unaccountable individuals - is unsustainable.

A modern football club must be underpinned by transparent structures and qualified personnel. Sporting directors, heads of recruitment, analysts, and board members are no longer luxury items - they are non-negotiables at any club with serious ambitions.

For any new ownership group, the immediate priority must be to professionalise Wednesday’s internal operations. That means naming a proper board, appointing a sporting director with a clear long-term plan, and ensuring that footballing decisions are made by people with relevant expertise and oversight.

Without those foundations in place, even the most well-funded rebuild risks being undermined by short-termism and a lack of strategic direction.