I don’t think Dejphon Chansiri wants to sell Sheffield Wednesday.
Numerous people have voiced this opinion privately over the past few months, even amid talk of suitors and offers.
You never quite knew what to believe at the time but all the evidence is now pointing to a chairman who isn’t planning to depart.
Short of an offer well above the actual valuation of the club, I don’t think he’s going anywhere.
This will be an interesting week. If everyone is paid on time for August, it will suggest the owner has the funds to keep going at least on a short-term basis. Match day revenue, for example, will be a source of income.
Whilst Chansiri can keep things ticking along, there’s a good chance he’ll crack on.
This is despite growing protests by away supporters, backed by fans of Leicester City and Wrexham in a poignant show of solidarity.
This is despite the likelihood of a whopping points deduction that could make it nearly impossible to stay up, despite the heroic efforts of a threadbare squad.
This is despite supporter fears of no real future for the club under the status quo.
It’s starting to feel like Chansiri will only depart by being removed. There’s been chatter, including by EFL chairman Ricky Parry on the Today programme over the weekend, that the new football regulator could have the power to do this.
It’s such an unknown though. The regulator will have Sheffield Wednesday in their sights now that Morecambe has been sold. What will they actually be able to do, though? That remains to be seen.
The Supporters’ Trust have called for ‘not a pound in the ground’ to be spent by fans, plus their members voted in favour of boycotting the Carabao Cup game against Leeds United.
Are fans prepared to do this though? Fans on the BBC Radio Sheffield Football Heaven phone-in say they intend to carry on as usual, complaining that they feel like they’re being told what to do.
The reason Sheffield Wednesday hasn’t been sold is not down to a lack of interested buyers. The problem is an owner who appears unwilling to sell.
It’s unclear what Chansiri’s motives are at this point. If he’s dissatisfied with the offers he is receiving, the value of the club is not going to grow in its current state.
There are barely any assets to purchase and the club is threatened by a future in League One after losing so much talent and having no ability to sign players.
Is he unable to sell? Some supporters are so unsure what his actual plan is they’ve started to speculate whether he just wants to watch everything crash and burn.
Chansiri could make it clear what his intentions actually are by communicating. Yet there’s only been one statement all summer.
He hasn’t done an interview with the BBC in years. Here’s another request to end that run. Explain the situation in a broadcast interview.
Stop all the wondering and speculating by fronting up and speaking to the media. When a club has gone through such a chaotic last few months, doesn’t an owner have to face the music, however uncomfortable that may be?
You can listen to the Today programme’s segment on Sheffield Wednesday here.