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One of the great English football clubs is tearing itself apart

It seems barely credible given events in the past week at Sheffield Wednesday, yet only a few months ago there was hope that the club could reach the Championship play-offs and return to the Premier League after a quarter of a century away.

They may have lost the Steel City derby at Hillsborough, but they were still only two wins from the top six and their next opponents were Cardiff, Hull, Blackburn, Oxford and Stoke. That winnable run of games, however, resulted in no victories and they finished 12th in the table.

Where next for the fifth-oldest professional football club in England? Back in 1887, they paid players five shillings for a home game, or seven shillings and sixpence for an away game. In 2025, players have not received wages at all for May. Nor have other non-football staff at the club.

One player described the situation as a joke, as it is the second time in three months a delay in payments has occurred. The English Football League has taken a dim view, too, charging the club with multiple breaches of its financial rules over paying players and staff. They face a transfer embargo of up to three windows for these alleged offences.

Such is the pace of football, Wednesday have gone from outside promotion candidates to chaos in a few months. There are genuine fears over where they will be at the start of next season under Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Barry Bannan, their captain, has been offered a new deal to stay at the club, although he could be forgiven for having second thoughts about signing it. The 35-year-old’s consistency and influence on games means there will be options if he decides to leave.

Sheffield Wednesday fans protest against owner Dejphon Chansiri

Sheffield Wednesday supporters have long urged Chansiri to sell the club - Getty Images/George Wood

Marvin Johnson is in a similar position. Ipswich Town had bids for Johnson turned down last summer after targeting him for the Premier League. He started 30 games last season and now has Championship rivals casting an eye at a potential low-risk free agent. Foreign clubs could also have a look.

In the academy, England Under-16 striker Caelan Cadamarteri has sparked interest from Manchester City, Everton and Chelsea. His father, Danny, played for Everton and there is an emotional attachment to Merseyside, while City are regarded as the best place for young players to develop. Either way, they will be losing one of their brightest prospects.

And the manager, Danny Röhl, will be sought after as clubs reshuffle over the summer. He was in the running for the Southampton job, where he previously worked under Ralph Hasenhüttl, and other clubs will inevitably offer a calmer environment for him to work.

‘Chansiri must sell to prevent complete collapse of club’

The chaos in Sheffield comes after relative serenity under Röhl. The German, rather than the owner, was effectively front of house for the club. Wednesday had the look of a team punching above their weight with an exciting young coach.

It was actually Chansiri’s second bite at the cherry with Röhl, having overlooked him in the summer of 2023 in favour of Xisco Muñoz, the former Watford manager. Muñoz left two months into the season with no wins to his name, paving the way for Röhl’s appointment. After keeping them in the Championship on the final day of the campaign, this was meant to be a season of consolidation.

“The club continue to seek a resolution regarding outstanding salaries,” was part of Wednesday’s brief statement, acknowledging their EFL charges and apologising to players and staff. It has raised questions as to why Chansiri has turned off the tap, with no salaries for March and May.

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri before their 2015 League Cup tie against Arsenal

Sheffield Wednesday owner Chansiri bought the club in 2015 - Getty Images/Matthew Lewis

Chansiri’s family owns Thai Union Group, the biggest producer of tuna in the world and, according to a CNN headline, tinned fish is “on the rise”. “Americans looking to save money in the face of economic headwinds are fuelling their soaring popularity,” CNN wrote. There have been no public issues with Thai Union Group, yet Sheffield Wednesday have had cash-flow problems to pay canteen workers and administrative staff.

Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield South East, has called for Chansiri to sell the club in the wake of the latest problems, urging potential buyers to come forward. “He must accept that he needs to sell Wednesday to prevent the complete collapse of the club … we as fans deserve better,” he said.

‘If I had your dough I would buy Wednesday’

Fans have been protesting at matches in great numbers too and have long hoped for a takeover after a decade of the current owner. They have come close to a Premier League return, losing in the 2016 play-off final, but would a change at the top get them over the line?

Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner, has suggested Wednesday would be a good investment for a potential owner. He was talking to Saudi billionaire Turki Al-Sheikh about branching into football after moving into boxing, mixed martial arts, World Wrestling Entertainment, Formula One and LIV golf.

“So when I’m asked by these guys, ‘What English football club would you advocate for us to buy?’ I said if you’re not going to buy one of the legacy clubs of which there’s three in this country – Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United – the next one down the rank is Tottenham, see if you can get a deal out of Daniel [Levy] for that because that’s a spaceship that needs a new captain,” Jordan said on Talksport.

“If I was buying a football club and I was really motivated and had your kind of dough, I would buy Sheffield Wednesday.”

An American consortium has been linked with a takeover bid, although as rivals Sheffield United found in the last couple of years, these deals are not done overnight. In April, Chansiri insisted there was “no substantial interest” in buying the club. This was before another round of wages were delayed.

There is no doubt about the potential of the club, should somebody wake the sleeping giant in South Yorkshire. But there are more pressing issues that need resolving before dreaming big.

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