Sheffield Wednesday takeover news: Dejphon Chansiri "ignoring calls", John Textor frustrations, more fan action planned | OneFootball

The end of another month arrived without the players being paid on time, so here's a round-up of the latest Sheffield Wednesday takeover news.

We're now into October, and still there is no new owner for troubled Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.

As the 2025-26 season moves from summer into autumn, things do not seem to be getting any easier for crisis club Sheffield Wednesday. Their last two league games have seen them conceding a 98th minute equaliser to drop two points with a draw away to Birmingham City and then lose 5-0 at home to new Championship leaders Coventry City, while takeover talk crawled to a halt throughout September.

It remains the case that the only realistic route is for the club to be sold, but with previous offers made having been rejected by owner Dejphon Chansiri, the club remains in a state of stasis, still unsure of whether wages will be paid on time, while manager Henrik Pedersen's threadbare team continues to atrophy on the pitch.

Here's a round-up of the latest takeover news from the club.

Dejphon Chansiri reported to be "ignoring" the need to sell the club

Journalist Alan Nixon reported on Sunday that Dejphon Chansiri "is ignoring calls to sell up", and is instead still trying to bring in outside investment in order to keep control of Sheffield Wednesday himself. It was first reported in the middle of September by Nixon that Chansiri was "in talks with foreign investors", but there is no indication that the owner has yet managed to actually secure this funding.

Nixon reported in September: "Any deal would have to be secured by the lender and that may be taken out against the ground or other assets," but one possible issue here is that Sheffield Wednesday don't actually own Hillsborough themselves, which raises the question of how any money coming into the club would be secured. The stadium itself is owned by a separate company owned by Chansiri, to whom the club pay rent, and this may have caused a significant issue with securing any money being put into the club.

In his latest update from Hillsborough, Nixon reported: "Wednesday’s major worry on the horizon is a tax bill that comes with a potential winding up action beginning." Were such action to be initiated by HMRC, the club would be left with little option but to enter administration were they not able to pay the amount on the petition in full, unless they were confident that they could persuade the judge concerned to defer the awarding of a winding up order, and this is by no means guaranteed.

A deferral would require the club to demonstrate that money would be coming into the club, but there is no indication that this is actually going to happen. Administration would suspend any insolvency action being taken against them, though it would also mean an immediate 10-point deduction to go on top of whatever other sanctions the EFL are intending to take over the club's mismanagement this year.

Sheffield Wednesday failed to pay their wages AGAIN at the end of September

It was reported by BBC Sheffield's Rob Staton on the 29th September that Sheffield Wednesday's players had been notified that they wouldn't be paid on time for the end of that month. This is the fifth time in seven months that the club has failed to reach this most basic of obligations. Staton later confirmed that non-playing staff would "receive an initial payment of £1000", with no apparent indication given of when they would receive the rest of what they are owed.

talkSPORT reported that exasperated Wednesday players were considering strike action over this, but Henrik Pedersen subsequently confirmed that it "has not been a theme with the players that they don’t want to train because they have not been paid." It remains the case that a points deduction is hanging over the club, and that each time the club's wages are not paid on time the size of that deduction will only grow.

On Monday afternoon, Staton confirmed that there are now six embargoes against the club on the EFL website, as well a fee restriction that is in place until the end of the winter 2027 transfer window.

Coventry City match disrupted by protests, and boycott planned for Middlesbrough match

On Saturday afternoon, Wednesday hosted Coventry City in the Championship, and the match was disrupted by a tenth-minute protest from supporters during which a small number of fans got onto the pitch. Coventry manager Frank Lampard had previously invited criticism by publicly commenting on a potential "safety risk" to his own players in the event of any protest, but there has been no violence at any of the Wednesday fan protests, and there wasn't any on Saturday either. Coventry won the match 5-0 to move to the top of the Championship.

On Sunday evening, the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust revealed their plans for their club's next home match against Middlesbrough, which is due to take place on the 22nd October. This match is due to be televised live by Sky, and the Trust has called for a "full boycott" of it, and for Wednesday fans to boycott any "early bird" season ticket offers for next season, which they state are "likely to come earlier than ever before, possibly during October".

John Textor has had talks with Dejphon Chansiri, but any agreement remains "a long way off"

The Daily Mail has reported that talks have been held between the American businessman John Textor and Chansiri over a potential sale to the club, and that Chansiri could be prepared to drop his sale price from the much-quoted £100 million to a slightly more sensible £70 million.

This, however, is where the good news ends in relation to this particular saga, because the Mail also reported: "Sources close to the situation say discussions have now taken place with a view to Textor adding the Owls to his stable of clubs - each of which was acquired amid financial turmoil - but have disclosed that an agreement currently appears a long way off."

Textor's name is the only one that has been mentioned in relation to potentially purchasing Sheffield Wednesday in recent weeks, so the news that no agreement seems likely will be a blow to those hoping for a quick sale to get the club back on its feet.

And while Chansiri's apparent willingness to drop his asking price could be interpreted as movement on his part, it should also be added that, with a threadbare squad, a dilapidated stadium and debts continuing to mount, any realistic value of the club will also be depreciating, and arguably at a very fast rate indeed.