Sheffield Wednesday facing fresh wages concern as Dejphon Chansiri issues continue | OneFootball

Having been late paying their wages in four of the last five months, crisis club Sheffield Wednesday could be set to do so again at the end of August.

Crisis club Sheffield Wednesday could be set to miss paying their wages on time for the fifth time in six months at the end of August.

It's been a nightmare year for Sheffield Wednesday, which has left the club starting the 2025-26 season with a threadbare squad and the threat of a significant points deduction hanging over their head as a result of their repeated failure to pay wages on time at the end of each month since the tail end of last season.

On the pitch, the team has taken just one point from their first three matches of the season in the Championship, though their supporters will have taken some solace from two wins in the EFL Cup, the second of which came on penalty kicks against Premier League Leeds United.

But such is the state of the club at the moment that matters on the pitch are taking second place to matters off it, and there are now concerns that a situation in which the club has repeatedly found itself this year could be about to rear its head again.

Sheffield Wednesday face a fight to get their bills paid at the end of August

Journalist Alan Nixon reports that Sheffield Wednesday are facing an uphill battle to pay their wages, transfer fees and HMRC bills at the end of the month. A failure to do so would be the fifth time in the last six months that this has been the case.

Wednesday were only able to pay everything and get a transfer embargo lifted because of receipt of their Premier League solidarity payment earlier this month. But there won't be another one of those this month. These payments are only made twice a season, and the next one isn't due until January.

Nixon reports that club owner Dejphon Chansiri had been banking on player sales to ease the club through this month's wage run, but an injury to goalkeeper Pierce Charles and other failed sales have left the club facing yet another potentially dire position when the end of the month comes around.

Takeover talk has started, but Sheffield Wednesday won't be sold before the end of August

This news presents Sheffield Wednesday fans with even more bad news, following the respite provided by knocking Leeds out of the EFL Cup. The club's record with regard to the late payment of wages has already cost them enormously. Last season's two top goalscorers, Josh Windass and Michael Smith, left the club in the summer for Wrexham and Preston North End respectively precisely because of this issue, and the club almost lost Max Rowe earlier in August because of the same issue.

The issue of the timing and amount of a points deduction from the EFL is unclear. Although it has already been reported that the club will be hit with one this season, it remains the case that no-one knows when this announcement will be made or what the sanction will be. It's expected that it will be severe because of the repeated nature of the offences that the club have committed in this respect.

The way to break this cycle remains the sale of the club, and Sheffield Wednesday fans have been continuing, with a boycott of the EFL Cup match against Leeds depressing the attendance for a match which was one of the ties of the round to just 7,801. Fans also protested before their opening League match of the season away to Leicester and their first home League match against Stoke City.

There have also been reports that former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is set to open talks with Chansiri over purchasing the club, though Chansiri's previous stance on the price that he wants for it makes it far from a foregone conclusion that a sale will be concluded. It certainly won't happen before the end of August, all of which means that Sheffield Wednesday's agony will continue into September unless those bills are paid on time, and the likelihood of that happening does not seem high at the moment.