Fresh Sheffield Wednesday claim made as Dejphon Chansiri's golden elephants auctioned - 'It is absolutely hilarious' | OneFootball

The former Owls owner is set to see his 'Golden Elephants' auctioned in a bid to raise funds

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield Wednesday supporters, players and staff are now hoping that a brighter future for the Steel City club is on the way after it was placed into the temporary hands of Begbies Traynor on October 24th.

The business recovery specialist company are currently overseeing matters at Hillsborough after the Owls were placed into administration by former chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, a measure which has effectively ended the Thai native's 10-year reign in the S6 boardroom.

Wednesday's predicament throughout the year of 2025 has been well-documented, with the Championship side seeing players and staff receive their wages late in five months out of seven from March onwards, as a mass exodus of senior figures in the summer, as well as the potential of a winding-up order just days before Chansiri placed the club into administration.

Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts and lifelong Wednesdayite, Kris Wigfield, are now largely responsible when it comes to raising short-term funds and providing stability before a deal with Chansiri's long-term successor can be struck, with there being growing hope that such a feat can be achieved before 2026.

At least £500,000 has been raised through sales in the club shop and ticket office, as well as seeing the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust commit a further £20,000.

However, certain assets under the club's name are still set to be auctioned off in the coming weeks, including a pair of golden Elephants, which were installed in the Hillsborough reception by Chansiri.

After acquiring control of the club in 2015, Chansiri set about completely making his presence felt in S6, which included his name displayed through many seats in the North Stand, his company becoming the front-of-shirt sponsor and the installation of the aforementioned golden elephants in 2016.

In his native Thailand, the animals are said to bring good luck, strength and power, as well as being an all-round symbol of the Asian country.

However, it has been revealed that the figures will be auctioned off, with lifelong supporter, Wigfield, recently joking about their location within the boardroom in an interview with the Times.

Despite the fact Chansiri almost took Wednesday to the wall, Football League World's Owls fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, also spoke about the irony which followed the installation of the elephants, as well as how they are set to be auctioned.

"The news that Chansiri's elephants are to be auctioned off. I know that I speak for all Sheffield Wednesday fans regarding this. It is absolutely hilarious," McKenna told FLW. "It is absolutely fantastic that this will be another public humiliation for Dejphon Chansiri.

"After all the misery he caused us, we've been able to rip his name out of the seats, troll him on the scoreboard and now, we're taking away another symbol of his reign at Hillsborough.

"We're dragging that down, and we're getting rid of Chansiri's stench," he added.

"These 'so-called' lucky elephants brought us absolutely no luck, and they were a real reminder of Chansiri's hold over the club.

"He insisted on having them to respect his Thai culture. Yet, in his 10 years in England, he showed absolutely no respect to any Sheffield Wednesday fan or staff member, or the culture in the UK of how to treat people and run a business.

"This is a very funny thing to see," he claimed. "We can rub this into Chansiri. Hopefully he will be aware of it and it will annoy him greatly.

"There's a great irony in it. He was looking to sell gold in order to stay at the club, and now his elephants are being sold now he's been kicked out of the club. Good riddance to them," McKenna stated.

With Chansiri now firmly out of the picture, all associated with the club have been able to breathe a huge sigh of relief, which was showcased by the fact all players and staff received their wages for the month of October ahead of schedule.

There is a reported timeframe during which the administrators have been advised not to sell the club, but that doesn't mean there is a lack of potential bidders, with it being claimed that the number of potential bidders is in double-figures, whilst Begbies Traynor have placed a £50m figure in terms of a proof of funds from any parties who join the queue which already includes John McEvoy, John Textor and Mike Ashley.

On the pitch, administration saw Wednesday hit with an automatic 12-point deduction, making relegation to League One almost a certainty for Henrik Pedersen and his threadbare squad, who can utilise the upcoming period of time to build momentum, whilst those off the pitch continue to stabilise the club ahead of what they hope will be a much more promising and stable period.