Exclusive:Dejphon Chansiri rejects 'US consortium' approach to buy Sheffield Wednesday
Dejphon Chansiri has rejected an offer to buy Sheffield Wednesday from a US-based consortium, The Star can reveal.
A bid from what has been described to The Star as ‘a Florida-based consortium made up of a collective of successful business people and professional athletes’ is understood to have been sent to the club ahead of the Easter weekend but was dismissed.
After a request for comment, a Sheffield Wednesday spokesperson said: “We can confirm an expression of interest was received from USA-based investors, working together with a previous sponsor of the club. No proof of funds was presented, nor the identity of the investors, and the offer was derisory.
“In addition, outstanding monies owed to the club by the previous sponsor in respect of a commercial partnership remain.
“On the basis of all the above, the offer was declined. Mr Chansiri has made clear the criteria for potential investors to follow, after which he would enter into further discussions.”
While The Star understands he is not the figure to have led the approach and does not lead the consortium, The Owls statement seems to hint at an involvement by Adam Shaw, a Sheffield-raised businessman now based in Florida who has publicly voiced a desire to purchase Wednesday and has sponsored the club previously. Approached for comment prior to the Owls statement, Mr Shaw said he did not feel it appropriate to do so at this time.
The bid arrives at a time Mr Chansiri has come under increasing pressure from Wednesday supporters who protested in vast numbers ahead of and during their final home game of the season against Portsmouth on Saturday. Support of protest against the club’s ownership has risen since a failure to pay the March wages of some players and staff left the club within hours of incurring a three-window EFL registration embargo.
The issue was explained to be due to cashflow problems in Mr Chansiri’s personal business dealings and speaking to The Star last month, the Thai businessman was not able to guarantee similar issues would not return.
An open letter to supporters published by the Owls chairman earlier this month in the wake of the late payments made clear he did not have an intention to sell the club but that he was ready to ‘pave the way’ for potential buyers ‘if there is someone out there better, more suitable and has the potential to take care of our club’ and who could ‘move Sheffield Wednesday forward from a stronger position.’
The letter read in part: “With any sale, it must be done the correct way - not through one of my people asking for a bank statement which again is not true - but through lawyers, with proof of funds and a tangible offer.
“The word means more to me than the paper – there is no reason for an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) or similar when that trust could easily be broken. I can say there was no NDA in place when I bought our club from Milan. The deal was done on trust from start to finish and behind the scenes, which is the correct and professional thing to do.”
The minutes of Wednesday’s most recent meeting with the club’s Engagement Panel indicate he would be willing to sign an NDA once an establishment of trust was made with any prospective buyer or investor group.
As previously reported, The Star understands there is further interest from other parties in purchasing Sheffield Wednesday. Any further official approaches are not yet known.