Sheffield Wednesday’s controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri has sparked backlash after referencing Reading FC in a defence of his recent failure to pay players on time.
The Thai businessman, who has been at the helm of the Owls since 2015, made the comments in an interview with the Sheffield Star following a delay in staff wages, which narrowly avoided triggering a transfer embargo. Chansiri’s comments drew particular attention from fans after he used Reading as a point of comparison in an apparent effort to justify his approach to squad building.
🚨Sheffield Wednesday players paid. Understand payments received in the last hour or so. Feels a familiar story.
Club stay within one default day of EFL 30-day rule breach – runs until June 30.
More w/@YesWeCrann👇https://t.co/IWj8KDiKjR#SWFC🦉
— Alex Miller (@AlexMiller91) April 7, 2025
Embargo threat narrowly avoided
Chansiri came under fresh scrutiny after failing to pay players and staff on the scheduled Friday. Payments were eventually made the following Monday, narrowly staying within the 30-day limit that would have led to a three-window transfer embargo. Under EFL rules, clubs risk fines if late payments occur within 20 days, and an embargo after 30 days.
Attempting to explain the situation and the complexities of transfer spending, Chansiri referenced Reading’s own struggles with embargoes and finances while suggesting that success is still achievable despite such setbacks.
“You can see even Reading for example, they have had a problem with embargos but they could get promoted. Sometimes I do not understand the mindset that outside of buying players it is not good. Actually; buy, loan or free, it doesn’t matter. It matters that a player fits to your squad or not. It doesn’t mean free or loan is always cheaper than to buy, sometimes they are more expensive.”
Chansiri’s comments have not been well received by supporters of either club. Many Wednesday fans were quick to criticise the comparison, pointing out Reading’s recent turmoil is hardly a benchmark for how to run a football club. Royals fans, meanwhile, were left unimpressed at being used to justify another club’s financial mismanagement.
Writer’s view
It’s a bold move by Chansiri to reference Reading, given the Royals’ well-documented struggles. While he may have been attempting to highlight the unpredictability of football finances, his comments instead underline how fragile things have become at Hillsborough.
For Reading supporters, being mentioned in the same breath as justification for failure to pay players is yet another reminder of a reputation that still lingers, even as they rebuild. A club on the up doesn’t need that kind of association—and certainly not from another embattled ownership.
