Sheffield Wednesday have been hit by a devastating three-window transfer ban following multiple late payments over the past 12 months.
As a result of incidents where money did not get to HMRC, the players, on two occasions, the coaches and the staff on time between the start of July 2024 and the end of this month, the EFL have handed serious punishment down to the Owls.
Wednesday now can’t spend any money on transfers, or fees on loan deals, until January 2027, debilitating what is already a seemingly crumbling club.
Not only will Danny Rohl’s side only be able to do deals for free agents and some loanees from now on, there’s a chance that they could be restricted in their ability to re-sign the three players that they offered new deals to prior to the ban – Barry Bannan, Akin Famewo and Callum
Sheffield Wednesday are in the midst of troubled times
Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie exclusively told Football League World that he thinks Wednesday are in the midst of a very worrying situation.
Not only can they not spend as much as they may want to, their manager has been looking for a way out of the club since April and the chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, has turned down offers of £48 million and £55 million for the club.
He said: “I think this is a massive concern for the football club. I think obviously progression was key for them to go and kick on and obviously get to the Championship, and potentially go kick on and get it at some stage. But that is a massive, massive blow.
“You’re talking a massive amount of time when they can’t spend money on transfers. So I think they’re going to have to be really shrewd in the market in the way they approach it. Can they get free transfers?
“I think it’s going to be [about] keeping themselves just afloat where they’re not going to get relegated. They’re not going to get themselves in any trouble.
“It’s damaging for a football club like that to not be able to go and spend money on players.”
Sheffield Wednesday will feel the effects of the transfer ban for a long time
With the current financial climate at Hillsborough, where some players still haven’t been paid their May wages comfortably beyond the midway point of June, it’s going to be very hard to convince anyone to join the club. Luckily for them, Bannan is keen to stick around in these tough times.
Aside from the Wednesday club captain, who else is going to look at this situation with any positivity? This ban could have major ramifications on the club that may be felt way beyond the beginning of 2027.
