Chansiri pledges continued effort but worrying times may be in store
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri released a formal statement via the official swfc website on Wednesday evening and while the Thai businessman reaffirmed his efforts to do the best for the club for however long he remains Chairman, he also stated more financial problems may be around the corner.
Chansiri stated that he remains willing to support the club financially but he is restricted by Profit and Sustainability rules of the league and so must continue to look to maximise revenue. To that end the statement notes that the Club 1867 scheme is to be relaunched. The scheme was first piloted in 2017 but generated little interest and so is set to be put out to the fans once again with a revised pricing strategy.
The Chairman stated his disappointed that the club suffered a transfer embargo last summer but warned that a soft embargo could be enforced again should the club not produce suitable financial statements to the league in March and this could develop into a full embargo if P&S issues are still outstanding at the end of the financial year.
A transfer embargo this summer would have a huge detrimental impact on the club given that more than 10 players in the current squad are set to be out of contract following the end of the season.
The financial issues were discussed at the last fans forum that was attended by Mr. Chansiri in December and so this is not completely new news but the potential severity of the problems do somewhat contrast with the recent appointment of high-profile manager Steve Bruce, who many fans feel wouldn't have taken on the job without some sort of assurance with regards to some financial stability. It appears that the plan is for the revamped Club 1867 Scheme will generate enough income to fend off the threat of an embargo in the summer and give the new manager a chance to build a competitive squad. The full statement can be viewed at www.swfc.co.uk