Ex Sheffield Wednesday favourite calls for takeover to end 'terrible' Dejphon Chansiri era - He wants to 'batter' Owls | OneFootball

Ex Sheffield United man Will Vaulks has spoken out on the ongoing crisis at the club under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri.

Former Sheffield Wednesday star Will Vaulks has spoken out on Dejphon Chansiri's ownership of the club and wants to see an end to his era at Hillsborough - as well as looking ahead to returning with Oxford United this month.

After seemingly never-ending turmoil for Sheffield Wednesday, club owner Dejphon Chansiri's popularity has unsurprisingly taken a massive hit in recent years with the Owls faithful.

With financial mismanagement being at the forefront of people's thinking when conversing about Wednesday in recent times, it seems to be at a point of no return for the Thai businessman's reputation within English football.

With the Championship strugglers in a sad and sorry state, Wednesday were restricted to just two transfers in the summer, both loan deals for Manchester United starlet Harry Amass and Cardiff City's Ethan Horvath respectively.

The main talking point, however, with Chansiri has been the failure to pay the wages of Wednesday's senior players and club staff on time, highlighting the desperate need for new ownership at the top end of the club.

Ex-Owl Will Vaulks shares his empathy for the Sheffield Wednesday fans over their current situation

Oxford United midfielder and ex-Sheffield Wednesday man, Will Vaulks, has given his verdict on Chansiri's tenure, calling for his time at the club to come to an end, not just for the benefit of the fans, but for the staff and players also.

The U's man, who spent two years with the Owls between 2022-2024, is set to face his former club later this month at Hillsborough, and holds fond memories of his time in the Steel City.

The Welshman made 80 league appearances for the Owls where he scored two goals and provided five assists, as well as winning the club's player of the season award in 2024.

As for the here and now, with a matchup against his former club on the horizon, the 32-year-old has had his say on ownership concerns at Wednesday, and why he left the club by speaking in an interview with BBC Oxfordshire via The Star.

Vaulks said: "I feel really sorry for the fans and for the players and staff there.

"I still speak to the staff behind the scenes. There's a reason I left the football club, let's put it that way. A lot of people kind of questioned why I was leaving and there were numerous reasons.

"I can't go into too much about it, but I think it was pretty obvious then what was going on. It’s just really sad and frustrating as someone who spent time there and saw the fans get really behind their club.

"Now they're in a position where things need to change above club level and how we let owners control clubs and all that stuff I'm not going to get into. But it's really sad to see."

Will Vaulks offers his verdict on Dejphon Chansiri's 'frustrating' handling of Sheffield Wednesday

With the current situation off the pitch at Sheffield Wednesday unsurprisingly translating into poor performances on the field, the Owls currently find themselves 23rd in the table, only above their red and white local rivals Sheffield United.

Chansiri's ownership has drained the hope out of all Wednesday supporters in recent times, with some fans already accepting that a relegation to the third tier is well on the cards.

The heavy reliance on youth has made it an uphill battle for the players from the get-go, and manager Henrik Pedersen has had to quickly adapt to the hand he has been dealt when taking the reins in the summer.

When speaking in the interview, as well as sharing his sympathy for all involved at Sheffield Wednesday, Vaulks made it very clear that the club should move on from their current ownership sooner rather than later.

"But when we [Oxford] play them, I hope we batter them! I remember someone gave me that advice, to 'pick your owner, not your club'. It’s just sad.

"Regardless of what you earn, it matters, but there are people at that football club that I know don't get paid great because I know how the club is run.

"It's not only that, but then to not get your payday that people rely on to pay mortgages and pay bills. It's just terrible. In any other job it's just unacceptable and it cannot happen.

“If my dad or whoever ran a business like that, they’d be struck off and people would just leave. They have a loyalty to the football club because they love the football club. And they know that if they leave it means the players have got one less staff or the fans have got less chance of winning that game.

"I think it’s a really important subject. I’m not at the football cub anymore but I care about it and it’s not good to see. I hope it turns around, they get a new owner in and the future can look up.

"When our game comes I’ll be looking to win, but other than that I do have a real sympathy for the players and the staff. And the fans. The city is such a football-based city for both United and Wednesday. Hopefully they can get things sorted in the near future."