The new Championship season has only just begun but at a time for renewed optimism and anticipation, Sheffield Wednesday are consumed by chaos and uncertainty.
A founding member of the Premier League in a city credited with being the birthplace of the modern game, a proud old club is in crisis after a summer of unpaid wages, transfer embargoes and a partial stadium closure.
« Absolute chaos. There’s no end in sight, » Ian Bennett, chairman of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust, told Sky Sports News.
« The problems are never-ending. You think the next day can’t be any worse and it is. We don’t even know if we’re going to play the first game. The fans are going to back any action the players take. »
Sky Sports details how the chaos has unfolded at Sheffield Wednesday…
What’s the latest?
First, the good news – Sheffield Wednesday’s players will fulfil their opening Championship fixture against Leicester on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
The club are no are no longer under any embargoes. They were all lifted at 5pm on Friday after they settled their outstanding debts to players, staff and other clubs.
Sky Sports News understands that the Championship side were only able to do this having received their solidarity payment from the Premier League this week.
The money did not come from owner Dejphon Chansiri or via club generated revenue.
They are, however, still under a fee restriction until the end of the 2026/27 winter transfer window, because of exceeding 30 days of late payments. This means they can’t pay a transfer or loan fee for any player until after that point.
The playing squad have held serious discussions as to whether or not to boycott the fixture following several delayed wage payments.
Legal advice has suggested that, were they to do so, the players could be in breach of their contracts.
On August 6, the EFL released a statement regarding their position on the situation, which is available to read in full here.
The EFL said: « The league wants to see a strong, stable and competitive Sheffield Wednesday, and for that to happen we are clear that the current owner needs either to fund the club to meet its obligations or make good on his commitment to sell to a well-funded party, for fair market value – ending the current uncertainty and impasse.
« We continue to pursue options available to us to resolve the current challenges, and to that end the league is currently in advanced discussions with Mr Chansiri’s legal advisors on formalising a process around divestment of his shareholding in the club. »
In June, the EFL charged the club and owner Chansiri for repeatedly paying the players and other members of staff late over several months.
The Owls squad boycotted their final scheduled pre-season friendly against Burnley on August 2 and released a statement outlining their frustrations and concerns.
When asked whether the players could go on strike and refuse to play against Leicester, Bannan told talkSPORT: « No, I don’t think so.
« We pulled out of the Burnley game at the weekend, that was simply because it’s happened too much now and I think it’s a lot easier to pull out of a pre-season friendly game than it is a Championship fixture.
« We’ve come into training and just got on with it and made it look to the outside world like we’re fine with it, so that was our choice then to say ‘enough is enough’ really. »
Supporters are planning to protest at the Leicester game by unfurling banners and not taking their seats until five minutes into the match.
On July 29, the club were forced to close the 9,255-capacity North Stand at Hillsborough after Sheffield City Council issued a Prohibition Notice following a meeting with the local Safety Advisory Group. If the North Stand cannot be used, the stadium still meets the required minimum capacity set out in the EFL Regulations.
On the same day, manager Danny Rohl left the club by mutual consent, and he has since been replaced by assistant Henrik Pedersen.
Who is Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri?
Dejphon Chansiri bought Sheffield Wednesday from Milan Mandaric in January 2015
Dejphon Chansiri is a 57-year-old Thai businessman whose family owns the global seafood company Thai Union Group. He took over Sheffield Wednesday in January 2015, in a deal reported at the time to be worth around £30m.
He bought Wednesday from Serbian-American businessman Milan Mandaric, the former Portsmouth and Leicester owner, who rescued the club from administration after taking over in December 2010 and contributed £7m towards wiping out debts over £20m.
How did we get here?
Concerns over the club’s ownership were heightened in July 2020 when Wednesday were handed a 12-point penalty for the 2020/21 season for breaching the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability rules, which was later reduced to six after a successful appeal. Regardless, the Owls were relegated from the Championship, three points from safety.
Wednesday won promotion back to the Championship via the League One play-offs in May 2023, but in October that year, they were placed under a transfer embargo for the first time over payments owed to HMRC.
The debt was settled the following month, the day after Chansiri had appealed to supporters to raise funds.
« If 20,000 people gave £100, then it’s £2m, and it’d be clear – so we can finish it. That would cover everything, HMRC and the wages, » Chansiri said. « You do not understand how important this club is to me and my family. I have been here nine years and it is a part of my life. »
Wednesday were placed under another transfer embargo the following year in October 2024, again for payments owed to HMRC, and the debt was settled once more the next month.
The EFL charged the club in June this year over multiple breaches of payment obligations after the players’ wages were not paid on time and in full in March and May.
Chansiri was charged with causing the club to be in breach of EFL regulations despite his commitment to fund Wednesday.
The players were told they would not be paid their wages on July 30. They recieved payment on August 8.
What happened with manager Danny Rohl?
Danny Rohl was in charge since October 2023
Danny Rohl left Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent on July 29.
Rohl missed the first two weeks of pre-season training following a rift with Chansiri amid the ongoing financial problems at the club.
The 36-year-old earned plaudits for the job he did in testing circumstances. Rohl was handed his first managerial role at Wednesday in October 2023 and steered the club away from relegation, having inherited a side that earned just two points from their first 10 games, before leading them to 12th place last season.
Rohl was linked with the Southampton job before Will Still was appointed at St Mary’s, as well as Leicester before they opted for Marti Cifuentes.
First-team staff Sascha Lense, Chris Powell, Neil Thompson and Sal Bibbo also left the club.
Who is the manager of Sheffield Wednesday now?
Henrik Pedersen was appointed as Sheffield Wednesday’s new manager on July 31, stepping up from his role as assistant manager.
The 47-year-old joined the club in October 2023 with Rohl, having managed Eintracht Braunschweig and Stromsgodset in Norway and Vendsyssel FF in Denmark.
He has also worked in Germany with Red Bull Salzburg’s youth teams, Red Bull Ghana, Union Berlin and HB Koge.
What shape is the squad in?
Sheffield Wednesday’s official website lists 16 first-team players after captain Barry Bannan, whose contract expired on June 30, signed a new deal on August 2.
Players have continued training throughout the summer despite the ongoing financial issues.
« Everyone’s fit, we’ve been working hard, » forward Jamal Lowe told Sky Sports News on August 1. « They’re not going to feel sorry for us and push our games a couple of weeks back. Everyone’s working as much as they can.
« People have left. It’s an unstable situation. No one holds any hard feelings to anyone who has left, everyone understands it’s a crazy time. »
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Sheffield Wednesday striker Jamal Lowe speaks candidly to Sky Sports amid the tough situation at the club, claiming players only find out updates via social media
The club released its retained list on May 15, 12 days after the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.
First-team players Stuart Armstrong, Ben Hamer, Ryo Hatsuse, Michael Ihiekwe, Marvin Johnson, Pol Valentin and Mallik Wilks were let go following the expiry of their contracts.
The contracts of Akin Famewo and Callum Paterson also expired this summer and they have since signed for Hull and MK Dons respectively.
Josh Windass, who scored the winner in Wednesday’s 2023 play-off final victory, and Michael Smith terminated their contracts by mutual consent on July 17. Windass has since signed for Wrexham and Smith has joined Preston.
Djeidi Gassama was sold to Rangers in a deal worth around £2.2m and Anthony Musaba signed for Samsunspor for an undisclosed fee.
James Beadle, Ibrahim Cissoko and Shea Charles returned to their parent clubs following loan spells at Hillsborough.
Could more players quit or go on strike?
FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players document, section 14b, states the following: « In the case of a club unlawfully failing to pay a player at least two monthly salaries on their due dates, the player will be deemed to have a just cause to terminate his contract, provided that he has put the debtor club in default in writing and has granted a deadline of at least 15 days for the debtor club to fully comply with its financial obligation(s). »
Given that the club has failed to pay the players on time in four of the last five months, they would be well within their rights to terminate their contracts.
Sheffield Wednesday’s friendly against Burnley on Saturday August 2 was called off with reports that the players cancelled the behind-closed-doors match after not being paid for July.
Can Sheffield Wednesday still do transfer business?
Sheffield Wednesday were placed under a three-window transfer embargo on June 18, having been charged on June 3.
This meant they couldn’t sign any players on loan or permanently for a fee in this summer’s window and the next two in 2026.
In a statement, the EFL said it related to « exceeding 30 days of late payments between July 1 2024 and June 30 2025 ».
However, in the statement on August 6, the EFL said the embargo had been extended to the winter transfer window in the 2026/27 season after they « surpassed 30 days of late payments for the year beginning July 1 2025 ». It means the club is now under a four-window transfer embargo.
The EFL also said: « Separately, on June 3 2025, the EFL issued charges against the club and owner Mr Dejphon Chansiri in respect of non-payment of player wages in March 2025 and May 2025. This matter is being considered by an Independent Disciplinary Commission, and because of the ongoing proceedings, the league is unable to comment further at this time. »
On June 27, a further embargo was placed upon the club regarding payments owed to HMRC, which has since been lifted after the money was paid.
That said, the club are under two further embargoes, with one relating to non-payment of transfer fees and the other relating to non-payment of players.
Is a takeover still on the cards?
Despite public expressions of interest, a takeover has not yet materialised.
Sheffield-born US-based businessman Adam Shaw told The Athletic in June his group had offers of $65m (£47.2m) and $75m (£54.5m) turned down.
In a statement on June 26, Chansiri suggested such figures were incorrect.
« To avoid any misunderstanding, the first offer was submitted in US dollars and the second in UK pounds, » Chansiri said. « The first offer was $40m plus limited future payments based upon promotion to the Premier League – not $65m as was said at the forum. The second offer was £40m plus limited future Premier League promotion payments – far from a guaranteed $75m which was reported in the second media interview. »
Former owner Milan Mandaric then told BBC Radio Sheffield he was exploring the possibility of buying the club back.
« I am going to definitely try to see him (Chansiri) with my people and be very straight in telling him that he is going to destroy the club unless he lets new people like me get involved, » he said.
The 86-year-old later confirmed he was no longer pursuing a return. « At such an important time, I would not want my involvement to either slow down or hinder these discussions, » he said.
Billionaire John Textor, who recently sold his stake in Crystal Palace, was also reportedly considering a takeover.
Later in Chansiri’s aforementioned statement, he said: « I repeat that I am willing to sell but the deal must be correct on all fronts – it is not just about the price.
« I have been seriously engaging in looking for investment from new parties, and continue to do so to quickly remedy this situation. »
What’s been the reaction?
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Labour MP for Sheffield South East Clive Betts believes Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri is running the club down
Labour MP for Sheffield South East Clive Betts said that despite the efforts of local councillors, nobody can speak to Chansiri.
« The six Sheffield MPs wrote to him (Chansiri) about six weeks ago through the club’s secretary. We haven’t got a direct contact with him, » he told Sky Sports News. « We said, these are concerns that the fans, our constituents, have, can we speak to you?
« The answer from him was, ‘Who are you? What’s it got to do with you?’ That was the end of the conversation. Nobody’s been able to speak to him. He’s not speaking to anyone.
« So what’s his intention? Nobody knows. We know what’s happening, though, the club is being run down.
« It really is disgraceful. The whole club is falling apart. You’ve got a chairman here who doesn’t care, isn’t interested, hasn’t got the money now to take the club forward.
« We don’t know whether he’s been borrowing money, who he owes it to, who’s really in charge of Sheffield Wednesday now. They’re questions that must be answered, but we can’t get answers to them. »
Professional Footballers’ Association CEO Maheta Molango was asked about the situation at the PFA pre-season camp in Leicestershire in July.
He said: « What I would say is that we just need to be careful in terms of which regulation would apply.
« What applies for a standard contract, that foresees certain situations in which you would be able to terminate your contract, is when there is a serious and/or persistent breach. That’s what we’d be looking at, not so much the FIFA regulations.
« Sheffield Wednesday have got a pattern of late payments, therefore we’ve been in touch with the players.
« Our role is not to tell them what to do; it’s to give them the tools and say, ‘This is what you could do if those criteria are met.’ Then it’s for them to assess what they want to do, because I wouldn’t take for granted that, because certain criteria are met, automatically someone would terminate their contract.
« It’s not an easy situation because, ultimately, people need to be paid. We really want to be strong on that and it’s something we will not tolerate. It’s not a good situation, but we hope there will be a positive solution to it. »
