Football finance expert Adam Williams has spoken to Sheffield Wednesday News about Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri, and the possibility of fresh investment at the club.
Sheffield Wednesday are trying, but so far failing in their quest to end an almost 25-year wait for Premier League football.
Under Danny Rohl, the club is definitely making progress, albeit slow progress at times, summed up by bland 0-0 draws at home to the likes of Swansea City in the Championship.
But it’s progress nonetheless for Sheffield Wednesday. As ever, Dejphon Chansiri is at the heart of Wednesday’s quest for promotion, but he’s certainly not in headlines as much as he has been in the past.
Sheffield Wednesday fans praised Chansiri during the summer after the controversial Owls owner put money into the transfer market and gave Rohl what he wanted.
Chansiri was at Sheffield Wednesday’s game against Burnley earlier this month as well, making a rare appearance at Hillsborough.
Dejphon Chansiri eyeing fresh investment at Sheffield Wednesday
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Chansiri wated to attract new investment at Sheffield Wednesday, in a bid to give the club more resources to build towards the Premier League.
Sheffield Wednesday News has now spoken to football finance expert Adam Williams about the probability of the Owls, under Chansiri, attracting fresh investment, and Williams gave some very interesting insight on the matter.
Williams suggested that the fact that Chansiri wants to attract new investors means that Chansiri has been ‘advised’ of possible interest from investors.
He said: “In terms of the process, an owner courting investment will typically appoint an agency to find potential buyers. This differs from owner to owner, of course, but that’s the go-to approach.
“If the stories about Chansiri looking for buyers are true, I think he must have been advised that there is a level of interest in Wednesday as an investment project to do that.
“But I can’t help but wonder, who is going to want to get into bed with Chansiri? His approach to fan engagement has been utterly horrific and if that carries over to his negotiation style, I wouldn’t want to get involved. No chance.
“Granted, most investors will have thick skin and will be accustomed to dealing with tricky characters.
“But then you have to ask, who is going to inject significant capital in a club if they aren’t going to be granted any operational power?
“That seems to be the mood music from Hillsborough, that Chansiri wants to sell a minority stake while retaining control.
“Sheffield Wednesday aren’t profitable in the EFL and they won’t be unless they reach the Premier League, and even then probably not for a few seasons.
“If I had a few million down the back of the sofa, the last thing I would do is invest it in a project that I had no control over and for which the returns are A) sceptical, B) very long term.
“As a prospect for a full acquisition, I think Wednesday are a catch. They’ve got the history, one of the biggest matchday income streams in the EFL, and the potential to be one of the biggest commercial revenue generators.
“But with Chansiri still at the helm and as a minority investment opportunity? Not so much.”
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri’s net worth
It’s widely known that Chansiri’s family is worth a lot of money; £450million per 2020 reports, which placed his family in the top 50 of Thailand’s richest.
There’s not been an accurate valuation of Chansiri’s personal net worth. But in October 2024, it was revealed that the Chansiri family’s Thai Union Group, the seafood company that makes them their fortune, has a market cap of £1.46billion.
That makes the Thai Union Group the 4400th most valuable company in the entire world.
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