Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri has been a figure of criticism in the past. But this summer, he’s doing no wrong at all.
Sheffield Wednesday fans have a rock relationship with owner Dejphon Chansiri, who’s approaching his 10th year as the Owls’ chairman.
Last season was without doubt Chansiri’s toughest with the club. He released several statements sparking a feud with the supporters, stemming from the unexpected exit of Darren Moore.
Chansiri targeted supporter and even asked them to settle a £200,000 HMRC bill, which he duly paid. Tension between the two led to the formation of The 1867 Group last season, which staged several protests against Chansiri.
But after Sheffield Wednesday narrowly escape relegation from the Championship last time round, Chansiri went about making amends with the fans, starting with a new three-year contract for Rohl.
Chansiri then put his hands in his pockets and facilitated the signings of Yan Valery, Olaf Kobacki, and Ike Ugbo who joined for £3million on a permanent deal from Troyes.
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Dejphon Chansiri pays off £19m Sheffield Wednesday debt
Previously, Chansiri had skirted financial regulations by holding debt against Hillsborough. It was a move that, at the time in 2020, sparked outrage among many supporters.
But it’s now been revealed that Chansiri has paid off little over £19million of debt owed against Hillsborough, with £6.75m to pay before the end of September.
Speaking to The Star, football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley gave his verdict on the news, saying: “What this means is that three of the four charges have now been settled and paid off, which is obviously a good thing.
“It’s worth noting, though, that because these three have come through in one go doesn’t mean that they were paid off recently – you don’t have to tell Companies House when or if you’ve paid something off. They could have been paid on or before each respective deadline.
“It’s good housekeeping to do what they’ve done, and seeing it satisfied through Companies House… It’s positive in the grand scheme of things, and at the very least payments are being kept up to date – the transaction is working as we expected it to.”
Dejphon Chansiri is winning back the trust of Sheffield Wednesday fans
Although he’s still a long way to go before fans put all their trust and faith back in him, Chansiri is certainly on the path to doing so.
And it’s surprising given just how much heat there was between him and the fans last season. But the above update is of course a positive and it may suggest that there is plenty of money behind Chansiri after all.
That and the spending over the summer may suggest that Chansiri does have money to spend, despite previously making out that he and the club were in dire straits.
Chansiri needs to keep Sheffield Wednesday on a steady path, and leave matters on the pitch to Rohl and his impressive coaching staff.
Matters on the pitch are difficult right now. But fans retain hope that in the near future, they’ll drastically improve.