‘
Quite ludicrous’ – Football finance expert makes revelation over Chansiri’s plummeting Sheffield Wednesday takeover valuation
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri’s valuation of the club has dropped from £350m to £75m, Kieran Maguire has said.
Sheffield Wednesday are a club in limbo again amid more delayed staff payments at Hillsborough. SWFC were in a similar peril in April, but an embargo was avoided and payments were settled.
The developments have piled fresh pressure on owner Dejphon Chansiri. The Wednesday faithful have called for the Thai businessman to sell up for some time now, though no such deal has ever come truly close to fruition.
It is common knowledge among Sheffield Wednesday fans that Chansiri will only sell to the right buyer at the right price, though his valuation of the club has been worlds above what reasonable takeover consortiums would be ready to cough up.
However, speaking on the latest edition of The Price of Football podcast, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has provided a shock insight into how Chansiri’s SWFC valuation has plummeted. He said:
“I was reading one story this morning that Chansiri has been in contact with people.
“His initial asking price was £350m – that is quite ludicrous. We saw Derby County go for £60m.
“I’ve had conversations with some people who said he was asking for £150m, and I’ve heard from yet a third party that that priced has now been halved yet again and he’s now looking for £75m to £80m.
“It’s not worth that in my view. Having done the very crude calculations that we use in the world of football finance, my gut feeling is somewhere between £40m and £50m would be a fair price.”
There are few fans at Hillsborough who wouldn’t have seen such a grisly period coming as unfortunately, the signs have been there for some time. Chansiri bought the club with ambitious plans and spent well in the opening years to earn the support of the club’s loyal fanbase.
However, a steady decline since then has become a sharp one in terms of finances readily available.
Now though, with Chansiri seemingly running out of money and his SWFC valuation plummeting as much as £275m, perhaps his tenure is moving closer to an end.
No Sheffield Wednesday fans holding their breath
While Chansiri’s reign may be coming to an ugly end, Sheffield Wednesday fans won’t be holding their breath by any means.]
It does feel as though the Thai businessman is being backed into a corner that he won’t be able to work his way out of, but few fans will truly believe a takeover is complete until new owners are stood in front of the Kop with blue and white scarves aloft.
It will be hoped such an outcome arises sooner rather than later as Wednesday look to avoid becoming one of the latest clubs ripped apart by financial issues and poor ownership.
