Sheffield Wednesday have been under a ‘temporary’ transfer embargo since April.
That was the chilling message from Owls’ chairman Dejphon Chansiri at the fans’ forum last night.
It was an evening filled with passion, debate and most importantly, the truth.
It took 40 minutes for the first question of the evening to be asked after Chansiri opened the forum with a heartfelt speech.
The main point of his opening gambit was that he feels his family deserved more respect, from certain corners of social media.
To the horror of most in the room, the chairman began to explain that his family no longer attend matches. “They are too scared to come,” he declared.
Whilst the official confirmation of an embargo will take the headlines, for me, this worrying statement is just as important.
Chansiri was the first to admit he has made mistakes since taking over the club four years ago.
“I’m still learning every day,” he admitted.
“If you want me to leave, I can leave immediately. I think I try to do my best for the club.”
Regardless, nobody should be scared when visiting Hillsborough; least of all, the owner’s flesh and blood.
There will always be some idiots amongst every group, but that doesn’t excuse some of the comments that have been directed towards Chansiri in the past.
At the forum there was, thank god, clear respect between Owls fans and the chairman, despite supporters raising valid criticisms against the club.
Whatever your thoughts towards Chansiri, there is no doubting he cares about the club. He has invested huge sums of money since taking over, with little to show for it. His family all live in Thailand, whilst he constantly travels to matches.
Why? Because, as Chansiri described it, the club is his “second home.”
Now, back to the breaking news.
Wednesday were informed by the English Football League in April that they were under a transfer embargo for breaking profitability and sustainability regulations.
Since, they have cut their cloth, with Jack Hunt and Jordan Rhodes leaving the club. There is also speculation that third-choice ‘keeper Keiren Westwood could depart S6 this summer.
As a result, Wednesday are now in negotiations with the EFL to have the embargo lifted.
When asked by a supporter, Chansiri admitted that it would be “difficult” for the club to make any new additions before Thursday’s deadline. He did, however, allude that they may be able to strengthen before the month is out, through the loan window.
This is clearly a live situation between the EFL and Wednesday – it is still an on-going process. It’s evident Chansiri doesn’t know exactly what the club can, or can’t do in the transfer market yet.
“If we have a good positive answer, maybe I can bring players. If we don’t have a good positive (answer), maybe I need to do something,” he said.
Whilst the picture remains unclear, Chansiri was hopeful it would be resolved “soon”.
However, whilst the Owls may be able to stave off FFP for this season if they don’t get promoted this year they will be big trouble. That’s not my take on events, but the chairman’s.
Chansiri made it abundantly clear that, whilst he might be able to get the club out of the embargo this year, there is no chance of repeating that feat next season.
He stated that he is not concerned by a potential fine, but by the possibility of a points deduction, next year.
It is worth noting, however, that Wednesday are not the only club in this situation. The EFL are also yet to dock any club points since FFP was introduced in 2012.
Some of you may be wondering, ‘why don’t the club just sell some of their assets then?’
Other clubs know about Wednesday’s predicament, which is a massive hinderance when offloading players. It impacts the value of all the Owls’ players, especially their best ones.
One club, who Chansiri refused to name, stated that if Wednesday didn’t sell them a certain player now, they would pick them up for free next season.
Chansiri conceded that some players may have to leave. “Sometimes it is very difficult for me to make a decision. I need think which is best for the club,” he said.
“If I decide to let some players go, then I expect some players to come in. I try to keep all our players.”
Much to my surprise, Chansiri also confirmed that he is not looking to sell the naming rights of Hillsborough. The chairman feels that the naming rights is a huge asset to the club that he isn’t interested in selling, at the moment.
Whilst Hillsborough is symbolic with Sheffield Wednesday, if it prevented the club from selling their best assets, I wouldn’t oppose changing the name, temporarily. That is, of course, just my opinion.
Trevor Braithwait, the Owls’ director of communications, shed some light on why Wednesday had failed to agree on a new contract with the BBC.
Initially, the Owls asked for a 10% increase on the fee they are paid, whilst the BBC wanted to a 10% reduction.
Wednesday offered to compromise and stay at the current rate, but the BBC declined.
He said: “There was a line in the sand and we thought this was a time we would go alone. We will now offer a bespoke Sheffield Wednesday service. It is a brave step. We believe this is the way forward.”
This explanation brought a lot of clarity to the situation. Although there were still some fans who disagreed with the decision, mainly those worried about the older generation, the majority of the room understood the club’s stance.
For supporters, the overall picture at Sheffield Wednesday seems clearer. Whilst some of the facts may trouble Owls fans, you can’t question the club’s transparency.
Supporters came to fans’ forum wanting answers and they left knowing more than when they walked in.
There are many things that Wednesday supporters can’t influence. They just have to trust Chansiri and his team to do their best by the club.
One thing that the fans can do, is get behind the team – starting against Hull City on Saturday.
Derby Uni Footy Journos 
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