What AI thinks Sheffield Wednesday would look like today if Dejphon Chansiri sold earlier | OneFootball

ChatGPT has outlined what could have happened to Sheffield Wednesday if they had been sold to David Storch earlier to be rid of Dejphon Chansiri...

Sheffield Wednesday ended Dejphon Chansiri's 11-year spell as owner when David Storch and the Arise Capital consortium acquired the club over the last month.

It's safe to say that by 2026, Dejphon Chansiri's time at Sheffield Wednesday had simply run its course after years of financial uncertainty and instability across the club caused serious supporter unrest.

It started earlier than Darren Moore's departure after promotion from League One, but that was a pivotal moment in all of this. Despite being in the Championship, the final couple of seasons in particular have felt unsustainable, with growing concerns over long-term direction.

Relegation to League One this season ultimately felt like the culmination of prolonged decline, making a change in ownership unavoidable if Wednesday were to rebuild and reconnect with their fanbase. That is where David Storch has already begun to make some impressive changes at Hillsborough ahead of 2026/27.

What AI thinks would have happened had David Storch arrived at Sheffield Wednesday sooner

In light of the growing optimism and positivity flowing throughout the club over the last month, we asked ChatGPT to answer what Sheffield Wednesday might look like had Chansiri been removed sooner.

It responded with the following: "If Sheffield Wednesday had been sold earlier by Dejphon Chansiri, there is a strong argument that the club would look far healthier both on and off the pitch heading into the summer of 2026."

It's hard to disagree with this assessment, given the turmoil of last season and AI believes the singular biggest difference would likely have been stability. For years, Wednesday have felt trapped in a cycle of uncertainty surrounding finances, recruitment, and long-term planning and those aspects are already vastly improving.

It believes that a fresh ownership group arriving 12 or even 18 months earlier would have had far more opportunity to implement structure behind the scenes instead of walking into a relegation battle that already looked beyond repair by the time Storch and Arise Capital completed their takeover in early May.

It even states that, in this scenario, Wednesday probably avoid relegation from the Championship altogether. However, this is the first point which is absolutely contentious. Given the sheer volume of issues and the embargo in a competitive league as it is, Wednesday would still have been relegated.

That is my opinion, but I would agree that they would have made a better fist of survival with the ability to act as a professional football club should for more of last season. Instead of finishing on zero, I suspect relegation would have been on 20-30 points instead, but the minus points were too much for Wednesday to have survived the way AI believes.

It adds that an earlier sale could have allowed for smarter recruitment windows, quicker decision-making, and a clearer footballing identity. Rather than relying on short-term fixes and ageing players on expensive wages, the club may have shifted towards a younger, more sustainable squad profile with resale value and energy.

That statement about players is largely correct, but maybe not to the extent that they suggest. It's perhaps over-indexed, while AI also suggests that the managerial situation would also likely have looked calmer because constant uncertainty above a head coach rarely creates the right environment for progress.

Under Chansiri, Wednesday have often looked reactive rather than proactive in recent years. Earlier new ownership could have provided patience in some ways and perhaps more urgency in others, such as with Henrik Pedersen's position. That said, alignment across recruitment, analytics, and player development is something many successful Championship clubs now prioritise and AI is right to suggest patience there could have been better under Storch, Arise, and co.

Off the pitch, the mood around Hillsborough would probably be completely different for much longer, which is hard to argue against. The disconnect between supporters and ownership became one of the defining stories of the Chansiri era, creating frustration and fatigue throughout the fanbase.

A fresh start earlier on would have restored optimism sooner, particularly if supporters had seen investment into infrastructure, communication, long-term planning, and other avenues ahead of their return to League One instead of another season dominated by financial concerns and uncertainty.

The most contentious aspect is that AI argues that there is also a realistic chance that Wednesday would now be viewed as an upwardly mobile Championship club rather than a fallen giant preparing for life in League One once again. The size of the fanbase, stadium, and history mean the foundations for success have always existed.

It argues that the problem has been timing, direction and leadership. There is obviously some truth to this but, as mentioned, the deficit and conditions that they started the season with were too great an issue. Storch and Arise would have had to come in much earlier, possibly even in 2024, in order for certain events to have been avoided entirely.

Unfortunately for Wednesday supporters, the takeover eventually arrived when the damage had already been done. However, Storch is letting actions speak louder than words for the most part thus far.

The American investor has already spoken confidently about restoring the club to their former stature, with Storch outlining plans to rebuild Sheffield Wednesday both on and off the pitch, having already cleared many of the debts at Hillsborough.

There is no -15 in place next season, nor is there a wage cap, while Wednesday's transfer embargo has been lifted. However, it does not stop there either, with Wednesday eyeing a new 'transfer guru' for League One.

Another example, Storch previously explained he wanted to change Sheffield Wednesday's badge again — and he acted swiftly on that promise. That's the kind of proactive decision-making and management the club now needs from top to bottom again.