'I am willing to sell, but...' - Dejphon Chansiri issues Sheffield Wednesday statement
Sheffield Wednesday chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, has issued a statement offering an update on the ongoing situation surrounding the club’s future.
Wednesday are in turmoil at the moment, with many players still unpaid and the club under a transfer embargo as well as a three-window fee restriction from the EFL. Question marks remain over the future of manager, Danny Röhl, and players returned for the start of preseason today despite issues on the coaching front with most of the first team technical team out of contract next week.
Amid all that there has been constant chatter over the potential sale of the club, with a Florida-based consortium going public with their intentions not long back, however Chansiri has explained that the figures they put out in public aren’t correct. The Owls owner has also reiterated that he would be willing to sell still, but only if the deal is ‘correct on all fronts’.
The statement, in full, read, “Given the ongoing speculation regarding the potential sale of Sheffield Wednesday, the chairman would like to provide clarity on the situation of the American consortium linked with buying the club. You will be aware that an initial offer from the consortium based in Florida, together with one member from the UK, was declined.
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“A second offer was made which was also declined – however I was willing to negotiate to accelerate the process and despite my best intentions to conclude a deal, it has been unable to move forward at this moment for reasons I will explain... A USA representative of the consortium gave a media interview earlier this month and since then, incorrect figures were reported at the recent fans forum and in a separate media interview from the UK member of the consortium.
“I would like to clarify the inaccuracies about these bids. To avoid any misunderstanding, the first offer was submitted in US dollars and the second in UK pounds. The first offer was $40m plus limited future payments based upon promotion to the Premier League – not $65m as was said at the forum. The second offer was £40m plus limited future Premier League promotion payments – far from a guaranteed $75m which was reported in the second media interview.
“I had been contacted previously on a regular basis by another person who was supposedly representing the consortium and who was to trying negotiate after the first two offers were declined. I said this must go through the club but when there was a danger I could not resolve the payroll situation, I said okay, if they have serious intentions and wish to work in a professional way, please pass on to the UK member of the consortium who you are in contact with that I will listen further and I am prepared to negotiate.
“The last thing I wanted to do was cause issues for our people so I said I was happy to talk with the condition of a deposit of £5m as a downpayment for the club in advance because I was yet to see any proof of funds.
Sheffield Wednesday could be sold, but...
“The supposed representative said the consortium wished to speak to me directly in Thailand so I said fine, if the deposit was made in advance. I was told that one member of the consortium had agreed to this but then I was informed that there was a disagreement with other members and they would not pay a deposit unless I agreed an overall price for the club in advance of the meeting in Thailand. I would not normally agree to such a proposal without negotiating face to face, but because I did not wish to let anyone down, I wanted to finish, I agreed and the price was agreed. In return, a period of exclusivity would be given. I also said if you cannot pay the full deposit now, pay 50% and the balance later. This would be returned if a deal could not be reached.
“I was told they agreed to transfer the deposit immediately to help meet payroll and avoid EFL charges and sanctions. One member of the consortium banks in the UK, it is a straightforward transaction, but despite assurances, the money did not arrive. The following week, I was told the money would have to be transferred from overseas. Despite this, still no money arrived.
“After this, the UK representative of the consortium pushed for a further meeting which I declined but he persisted in pushing to meet so I reluctantly agreed due to my desire to accelerate the process even though I had reservations. A date was set for a Zoom meeting but unfortunately, after a waiting time of 45 minutes, they did not attend.
“I can assure everyone that I did everything possible to try and complete a deal but I was left to think, if this is how the consortium are at this stage, how can I be sure they are the right people to look after the club? I take full responsibility for being unable to fulfil my current obligations, but a further obligation I have is to ensure that if the club is sold, it is sold to the right people with the right credentials who can sustain Sheffield Wednesday and take the club forward.
“I understand our fans are not happy and wish for me to sell, which some have said when contacting me direct. All I ask is please do not believe everything you read in the media or on social media. I repeat that I am willing to sell but the deal must be correct on all fronts – it is not just about the price. I have been seriously engaging in looking for investment from new parties, and continue to do so to quickly remedy this situation.
“I also understand the frustrations of everyone at this difficult time. I can only apologise to our people once again and assure you all that I am doing everything I can, every minute of every day, to ensure the situation is resolved in the best possible way for now and the future.”