"False hope" - Cautious Sheffield Wednesday reaction issued to big Dejphon Chansiri, takeover news | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has reacted to Dephjon Chansiri's potential sale of the club

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

There may just be light at the end of the tunnel for Sheffield Wednesday supporters, with a number of undisclosed, separate investors reportedly mulling over a purchase of the club from controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri.

The Thai businessman's nine-year reign at the helm has been marred by controversy and turmoil away from the pitch.

His relationship with Wednesdayites has become increasingly rocky in recent years, and it has not been strengthened in spite of a fairly-positive, solid campaign on the pitch under popular boss Danny Rohl this term.

Back in 2020, Wednesday incurred a six-point deduction after being found in breach of the EFL's Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules. They were relegated to League One later that season. There have also been late payments of tax bills, a frequent turnover of managers - the sacking of Darren Moore in the wake of Wednesday's promotion back to the Championship in 2023 divided opinion in particular - and, that same year, Chansiri threatened to withdraw his funding of the club after receiving criticism from supporters.

More recently, at the end of last month, it was revealed that the Owls' players had not been paid for the month of March owing to cashflow problems suffered by Chansiri. That development has only further amplified calls for Chansiri to sell the club, and after the Wednesday chairman published an open letter to supporters addressing the current state of affairs and the possibility of a sale, it has emerged that at least three groups - two in the United States and one based in the United Kingdom - are considering buying the South Yorkshire side.

This comes after Wednesday supporters staged protests before Saturday afternoon's home clash against Oxford United, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.

It appears as though that is simply limited to interest, with no offers on the table just yet, but the possibility of Wednesday coming under fresh ownership is growing. However, some supporters intend on remaining cautious and not getting too carried away just yet.

Cautious Sheffield Wednesday fan reaction given to Dejphon Chansiri, takeover news

In light of the news, FLW asked our resident Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, whether he is excited or if he wants to avoid falling into false hope.

The latter is certainly more applicable to Patrick, who is not letting himself get too excited in spite of the widespread desperation for Chansiri to cut his losses and sell the club.

"In regards to this potential interest in Sheffield Wednesday from a number of parties, at the minute I'm not going to let myself get too excited," Patrick told FLW.

"Obviously we're absolutely desperate for Chansiri to sell up and go, but I don't want to give myself false hope regarding the situation.

"In my view, Chansiri is feeling the heat a bit. He released a rather desperate, dishonest and gaslighting statement on Saturday morning, a few hours before a planned protest at the Oxford game, which still went ahead and got good numbers.

"He may realise now that more of the fanbase are turning on him and he might finally have to cut his losses and go.

"His attitude and behaviour in the past in the past - he said 'if fans want me to sell, I won't sell, that hasn't happened - he has this childish attitude where he has told fans it's up to them to find buyers for the club, which is just inherently untrue.

Dephjon Chansiri tipped to make it difficult for new potential Sheffield Wednesday owners

Patrick also has a feeling that Chansiri may make the process difficult for any prospective buyers in the coming months. He is fearful that Chansiri's idea of who is suitable to buy the club could not be in Wednesday's best interests, while the fact he owns the ground may well be a "struggle" if and when new owners amp up a potential bid to take over the Owls.

"I'll go back again to the letter he wrote to fans, it's worrying and it's quite obvious he doesn't want to go down the normal professional route, he doesn't want to sign a non-disclosure agreement," Patrick continued.

"Is there something to hide? He is talking about how he will only sell to someone he thinks is suitable.

"I'm sorry, for a man that has had such an appalling tenure at Sheffield Wednesday, who is he to decide who is suitable to run the club? He's talking about how this should all be done on trust and who is suitable, which is most likely another excuse for him to cling on to the club.

"I can see him making it difficult and putting off investors.

Will Chansiri ask for a reasonable price? I don't think so. Then there is the fact that the ground is his separate from the club, so will Chansiri act in good faith with the investors? I think it's going to be a struggle.

"I just absolutely hope that the sale of the club goes through as soon as possible, but at this stage, mainly due to the history of Chansiri's behaviour and how he negotiates, I'm not getting my hopes up."