Sheffield Wednesday fans have not had a lot of good news at all this summer, and that looks to be continuing.
Dejphon Chansiri has racked up over £4m worth of debts, which will be left to the next owner of the club, but with Djeidi Gassama now sold to Rangers for £2.2m, the players have been paid.
However, there is still a need for the Owls to be sold as soon as possible. The Championship season begins in just over three weeks’ time, and Danny Rohl is yet to make a signing.
Barry Bannan is training with Sheffield Wednesday and although it looked like a takeover was finally coming, news has emerged that it has stalled.
Sheffield Wednesday takeover bid collapses
It’s been 10 years since Chansiri purchased the Owls, and in that time the club have challenged for promotion to the Premier League before falling to the depths of the Championship. He took ‘full responsibility’ for relegation to League One in 2021, but continues to own the team.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
However, that looked to have been changing with a takeover process beginning last week. Now, The Star have reported that progress from that bid has stalled, and it has collapsed.
US business mogul Tilman Fertitta is one of the names to have been linked with the purchase, although it is an unnamed consortium whose deal has failed.
Chansiri remains committed to selling Sheffield Wednesday, but he is running out of time to do so before the new season begins.
Another potential buyer must make a move quickly
There are major concerns at Hillsborough currently and supporters have every right to be worried about the direction their club is going in.
Fans have fumed at the price of their new kit, but this latest update about the failed takeover will hurt even more with seemingly no end in sight to Chansiri’s reign.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
While this bid has failed, it does give another group the opportunity to make a move and purchase Sheffield Wednesday, but this has to happen quickly. The Owls are under a three-window transfer ban and players will be concerned about their futures. Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see some push for moves away.
Bringing stability back to S6 is needed and talks remain ongoing with other parties behind the scenes. However, it is still unknown if debts to HMRC are paid yet, adding to the myriad of problems.