Former Portsmouth trio impacted as Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday hit by 'cashflow' problems
Pompey’s Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday are in hot water financially once again.
On the pitch, the Owls are still hoping to make a late charge for the play-offs over the course of the final seven games of the campaign, with five points separating Danny Rohl’s men in 12th and sixth-placed West Brom.
The Hillsborough outfit are doing it the hard way, though, with just two of their previous seven league matches resulting in wins.
But while sights remain set on a successful end to on-the-field matters, Wednesday have the unwelcome distraction of financial issues away from the action. Indeed, the club have confirmed that the players are still to be paid their wages for March due to ‘cashflow’ issues.
The Owls are owned by businessman Dejphon Chansiri, whose family control the Thai Union Group, which is the world’s largest producer of canned tuna. The ‘temporary issue’ is due to debts owed to the 56-year-old’s other businesses.
An official statement on the club website read: ‘Sheffield Wednesday can confirm a temporary issue with the payment of player salaries for the month of March.
‘This has occurred as a result of significant sums of money owed to the chairman's businesses which has in turn impacted on the club's immediate cashflow. The chairman is working hard to resolve this situation at the earliest possible opportunity and in the meantime thanks everyone for their patience and understanding.’
The payment issue will affect former Pompey trio Jamal Lowe, Di’Shon Bernard and Michael Smith, who are still awaiting their wages for March.
Lowe arrived in the Steel City last summer after being released by Bournemouth - prompting hope among many of the Fratton faithful of a return for their former League Two title-winner.
So far this term, the 30-year-old has netted four goals in 28 appearances in all competitions during his maiden campaign at Hillsborough but has registered just three outings in the Owls’ previous nine Championship contests - all of which have come from the bench.
Sheffield Wednesday play host to Pompey at the end of April in the Blues’ penultimate contest of the season, with the forward bidding to make his second appearance against his former side.
There will be no inclusion, though, for ex-Fratton Park loanee Bernard, who will miss the remainder of the campaign with a knee injury. The Jamaican international sustained the issue against West Brom in February and, after requiring surgery, will be sidelined for the visit of Mousinho’s men.
The centre-back has featured 67 times for the Owls since his free-transfer arrival from Manchester United in August 2023.
Meanwhile, Smith will be looking to net his second goal of the season against the Blues after he netted the winner against his former side in the reverse fixture at PO4 in November.
The experienced striker has appeared on the scoresheet eight times for Wednesday in all competitions so far this term.
Not the first time Sheffield Wednesday and Dejphon Chansiri suffer financial issues
Unfortunately for Sheffield Wednesday fans, it’s not the first time they’ve faced monetary problems since Chansiri bought the club for £37.5m from ex-Pompey chief Milan Mandaric in 2015.
During his decade at the club, the Thai businessman has faced a number of financial issues. Indeed, the club was placed under a transfer embargo due to amounts owed to HMRC in October 2024. His ownership of the club has prompted a number of protests from supporters before and during Owls games this term.
Twelve months prior, the entrepreneur asked fans to raise £2m to help pay off outstanding debts and pay player wages.
EFL guidelines state that the league must be notified within two days of the due date if they have failed to meet their financial obligations to a player or players. Should this happen, then the Football League insists the club will be placed under an imminent registration embargo.
There is no statement from the EFL at the time of writing. Sheffield Wednesday face Hull in the Championship on Saturday.