Sheffield Wednesday chief takes Dejphon Chansiri swipe as £6m investment confirmed | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday's new owners have confirmed fresh investment into the club

Sheffield Wednesday completed a change in ownership in May when David Storch took over the club.

The American is the leader of the group Arise Capital, who are now in control of the Yorkshire outfit after a protracted takeover process.

Dejphon Chansiri oversaw significant financial mismanagement during the end of his time in charge, which led to administration.

The Owls suffered relegation to League One as a consequence, with the team enduring a difficult campaign under Henrik Pedersen.

The Dane will now be looking to rebuild the squad over the summer in a bid to return Sheffield Wednesday to a competitive level.

The club have already made major moves behind the scenes, bringing in David Bruce as CEO and Simon Wilson as sporting director.

Sheffield Wednesday announce fresh £6m investment

Action Images

Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed a £6 million investment into the club’s infrastructure, as Arise Capital continue with their first steps as the new owners.

Bruce has taken aim at Chansiri’s delusions regarding Premier League promotion, claiming that the new money will be used to improve hospitality at Hillsborough.

The new CEO suggested that they are responding to fan feedback to try and improve the supporter experience at the stadium, suggesting that this is just the beginning of their plans to invest.

“We know our premium experiences haven’t been good enough,” said Bruce, via The Star.

“We did a survey as we were coming in, trying to understand what you like and don’t like about those experiences and what needs to get better.

“The service needs to get better, environments need to get better, the food and beverage experience needs to get better and the way we talk about it needs to get better.

“So we’re going to get better and we’re going to start from this season onwards and build from there.

“It is a summer of investment.”

The chief executive also confirmed that work will begin on some rudimentary improvements that had to be made, such as ensuring there will be running water at the stadium.

“We have committed around £6 million to improve the stadium and the training ground, which is a significant amount in facilities that dearly need it.

“It’s not going to be a lot of sexy stuff, but it’s going to be stuff that helps foundationally to move this club in the right direction.

“As David (Storch) famously said, the guy who owned the club before said we’d be in the Premier League within two years - David said we’d have running water for you next season.

“It shows you where we have to go to as a football club, you need these foundational elements in place before we can build and grow.

“And we want to build and grow this great club.”

Sheffield Wednesday confirmed in an email to Foundation members that they will be re-purposing the 1867 Lounge, with the aim being to maximise their commercial opportunities.

It’s believed that two premium spaces will be renovated as part of the investment, including the 1867 Lounge as well as the Quixall Suite.

It’s been confirmed that the two new suites will retail at £1,495 and £4,995, plus VAT, respectively, with the club looking to generate more sustainable income from Hillsborough.

Investment into the training ground is also expected, as Arise Capital continue with their plans to turn things around for Sheffield Wednesday.

With the transfer window now open, it’s likely that business will begin on bringing in fresh faces to the first team squad as well.

The club will have until 1 September to conclude any deal, with the new owners hoping that Pedersen’s side can compete for promotion in League One next season.

Action Images

Hillsborough investment is necessary for Arise Capital

Investing in Hillsborough had to be one of the first major moves by Arise Capital, as it is a stadium that needs work to be brought back up to standard.

The same is true for Sheffield Wednesday’s training facilities, and Storch has been very clear in the past about being aware of the reality.

While some of these changes won’t be extraordinary on the face of it, getting back to basics will be a good starting point for further investment down the line.

And renovating the premium suites is a smart move as well, as that is an area that can help drive revenue in the long run, which will bolster their commercial potential.