Sheffield Wednesday’s managerial search goes on, following Darren Moore’s shock exit earlier in the month.
Owner Dejphon Chansiri hoped to have a manager in place by the time that the Sheffield Wednesday players returned for pre-season training. But the squad returned today and there’s no manager – The Star say that the club’s sports science team are leading pre-season preparations.
But The Sun’s Alan Nixon provided some clarity on the club’s managerial search on Twitter yesterday, revealing (via Football League World) that Chansiri is now in the interviewing stage of the process, with four names on the shortlist. Nixon also went on to reveal that one of the names on said shortlist is former West Ham, West Brom, and Watford boss Slaven Bilic.
Dean Smith though is the name being mentioned most. Earlier this week, reports claimed that Smith and Sheffield Wednesday were in talks, but that claim has since been shut down by trusted report Rob Staton who says that no contact has been made between the two.
The Star however say that Smith is Wednesday’s first choice manager to replace Moore at the club, so what the state of play is regarding Smith remains to be seen.
What has Chansiri said?
Chansiri has earned praise for his transparency throughout this whole saga. He released another statement yesterday which first of all revealed the reason behind Moore’s departure, with the former Wednesday boss apparently asking for a four-fold wage increase and a new three-year deal, which Chansiri clearly wasn’t willing to offer.
Chansiri also provided fans with an update on the state of the club’s mabagerial search, writing:
“The recruitment process for the new manager is well underway and I wish to get back to normal as soon as possible. The appointment will not be rushed, it must be the right person and the right fit for our club and the process continues.”
It’s a very interesting time to be a Sheffield Wednesday fan. Fans’ opinion of Chansiri seems to change everyday but it clearly seems like he’s doing his best to find the club’s next manager, and if he can find a manager who proves to be an upgrade on Moore then he’ll earn a lot of praise from supporters.