Danny Rohl makes new claim on Sheffield Wednesday exit - "I had to take a decision" | OneFootball

Danny Rohl has spoken out on his relationship with Dejphon Chansiri for the first time since his departure from Sheffield Wednesday.

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has admitted his relationship with owner Dejphon Chansiri declined over the course of his time at Hillsborough.

After spells as a coach with RB Leipzig, Southampton, Bayern Munich and the German national team, Rohl was handed his first managerial role by Wednesday at the age of just 34 in October 2023, and despite arriving with the club sitting rock bottom of the Championship table after the worst start to a season in their history, he somehow managed to lead them to survival.

The Owls continued their progress under Rohl last season as they finished 12th in the table, but problems behind the scenes between the German and Chansiri began in December after he was denied a move to Southampton, and the pair went on to have a bitter public dispute during the January transfer window.

With his exit looking likely amid links with a host of English and German clubs over the summer, Rohl did not return to Wednesday for the start of pre-season training back in June, but he was forced to resume his role just a few weeks later after failing to reach an agreement over a severance package with Chansiri.

However, it was revealed that some members of the Owls squad were unhappy with Rohl's shock return, and amid ongoing off-field and financial turmoil at the club, he eventually departed the club by mutual consent just over a week before the start of the new season.

Over a month on from his controversial Hillsborough exit, Rohl remains out of work, but he is believed to be on the radar of Wednesday's Steel City rivals Sheffield United, with current head coach Ruben Selles under pressure at Bramall Lane after losing all of his first five games in charge in all competitions since replacing Chris Wilder in the summer.

Danny Rohl speaks out on Dejphon Chansiri relationship after Sheffield Wednesday exit

The interest from Southampton was just one of a number of issues that caused Rohl and Chansiri's relationship to become strained over the winter period, and they are said to have disagreed on which targets to pursue during the January transfer window, with now-Sheffield United loanee Louie Barry one name who went elsewhere, despite being wanted by the 36-year-old.

With tension increasing between Rohl and Chansiri, the ex-Bayern Munich coach reportedly informed the club of his desire to leave back in April, shortly after the first late payment of player and staff salaries, but rather than coming to a swift agreement, the Wednesday chief was keen to hold out for compensation for his highly-rated manager, with his demands thought to have been as high as £5 million.

After breaking his silence for the first time since his acrimonious departure from Hillsborough, Rohl revealed that his relationship with Chansiri was initially positive, but that quickly changed due to financial problems and the lack of a proper structure at the club.

"It was around the Hull game, where we lost to a very late goal," Rohl told The Times.

"We couldn’t pay the salaries and wages, the communication was not what I expected and there were all the small things. I fought myself, and asked myself: ‘What could happen in the summer? Do I have the conviction we can make the next step?’

"I tried to speak with the club, to see if there was a dialogue, and when there wasn’t I had to take a decision.

“At first, when we meet each other for dinner, it was always in good humour and we could laugh together. But what I learnt in Red Bull was that in modern football you need the best man for the job. There’s a reason why a successful club has a big structure, with technical directors, sporting director and so on," Rohl added.

It was not too long ago that Rohl could not have been more popular at Wednesday, but with many feeling that he disrespected the club in the months before his exit, his legacy at Hillsborough has been tarnished.

However, while Owls supporters may not have the most positive view of Rohl or his conduct, it is difficult to disagree that the absence of a proper structure and football expertise at board level has been one of the main contributing factors to the club's downfall under Chansiri.

Given the events that have transpired since his exit, it is difficult to blame Rohl for wanting to leave, but any remaining good feeling towards him from Wednesday supporters will disappear if he takes over at Sheffield United amid talk linking him with the Bramall Lane hot seat.