EFL monitoring Sheffield Wednesday situation after new Dejphon Chansiri controversy

The Yorkshire Post understands there is nothing they can do unless a debt owed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is not settled in the coming weeks if reports that the players have been paid on time are correct.

The Owls became only the third EFL club under a transfer embargo, in their case as a result of money owed to the taxman. The others are League One Reading and Sutton United, bottom of League Two.

But an interview with The Sheffield Star has raised fears there could be more trouble ahead and caught the attention of the EFL.

In the interview, Chansiri confirmed the tax bill was due on October 23, and wages were due on Tuesday. He says cashflow issues with his other businesses means he does not currently have the money to settle Wednesday's debts.

If clubs go 30 days without settling a "persistent default" the sanction is for the transfer embargo to be extended over the next three windows, a significant punishment at a time when the churn of players in each window is normally great across the board. The Owls signed 13 players this summer, for example.

Every day the club does not pay HMRC and/or the players counts as another day each towards the 30-day grace period, but with the second issue apparently resolved, November 21 could be the key date.

The Thai businessman, who bought the club in 2015, promised in the interview that lesser-paid staff would get their wages on time, and intimated local business would be paid too, but that some higher-paid on and off-field staff might not get what they were due in full and on time. That would seem to have been an empty threat.

In 2021 the Professional Footballers Association were called in after multiple instances of wages going unpaid during the season which last saw them relegated to League One. They would have stayed up but for a six-point deduction for breaking the league’s profit and sustainability rules.

Chansiri's solution in the interview has further infuriated a fanbase already unhappy at his running of the club, and at Hillsborough ticket prices.

“If 20,000 people gave £100 then it’s £2m, and it’d be clear – so we can finish it," he suggested. "That would cover everything, HMRC and the wages. That would need to be done before November 10 if they don’t want to pass the 30 days, but that means that there can be no next time.

"If we were to hit 30 days then we’ll get a ban for three windows.”

Chansiri denied accusations this was some sort of powerplay on his part.

“Why would I need to play a game?" he responded. "If I don’t pay my staff and they get mad with me then my club is going to be worse. If the staff don’t get money, they don’t do their job and the club is worse off.

“You do not understand how important this club is to me and my family. I have been here nine years [sic] and it is a part of my life.”