We asked AI to predict Sheffield Wednesday’s final league position this season | OneFootball

We asked ChatGPT to predict where Sheffield Wednesday will finish in the Championship table this season.

After a nightmare summer of off-field issues, a tough season is likely to be ahead for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

Having failed to pay the wages of players and staff on time on multiple occasions, Wednesday have been hit with a four-window transfer fee ban, which will remain in place until the end of January 2027.

After receiving their share of Premier League solidarity payments last week, the Owls were able to pay the remaining player and staff salaries for July, as well as settling the outstanding transfer fees owed to other clubs, which lifted their final transfer embargo, but they still face restrictions on their transfer activity amid strong EFL scrutiny.

In a desperate attempt to raise funds, under-fire Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri sold star wingers Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama for a combined total of just £3 million last month, while forwards Josh Windass and Michael Smith had their contracts terminated by mutual consent after handing in their notices, and those exits have left the club with a threadbare squad.

The Owls have also faced upheaval in the dugout this summer, with manager Danny Rohl leaving Hillsborough just over a week before the start of the new season to be replaced by his assistant, Henrik Pedersen, while the club were also served with a prohibition notice that prevented them from using the North Stand, but the situation has now been resolved.

Sheffield Wednesday facing Championship survival battle after turbulent summer

As concerns for the future of the club continue to grow, Wednesday supporters held a protest against Chansiri during their defeat at Leicester City on the opening weekend, with many not entering the stadium until the fifth minute to send a message in front of the Sky cameras.

The Owls put in a valiant effort on the pitch in the defeat to the newly-relegated Foxes, but the game came at a cost as, just minutes after scoring, midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah limped off with an injury that Pedersen claimed will keep him out for "some time", and his absence means the Dane now has just 14 senior players at his disposal.

Pedersen has revealed that the recruitment team are currently assessing up to 60 players as he looks to bolster his squad, and Wednesday have been linked with the likes of Liam Cooper, Harry Amass and Stuart Armstrong, but it has been reported that no medicals or signings will take place at Hillsborough until Chansiri can provide guarantees to the EFL that he will be able to pay the wages of any new additions.

In a strongly-worded statement last week, the EFL warned Chansiri that he must either meet his financial obligations to the club or sell for fair market value, and there is believed to be interest in the Owls, with former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor believed to be exploring the possibility of a takeover.

However, with no imminent deal in sight, Chansiri remains at the helm, and as Wednesday begin what looks likely to be a campaign of struggle, we asked ChatGPT to predict where they will finish in the Championship this season.

AI predicts where Sheffield Wednesday will finish in the Championship this season

It is fair to say that Wednesday are strong favourites to be relegated from the Championship, and many supporters and pundits placed them bottom of the table in their pre-season predictions.

However, despite the off-field turmoil at Hillsborough and lack of depth within the squad, ChatGPT has taken a more optimistic view of the Owls' prospects for the season, predicting that they will avoid the drop and finish 20th in the table.

AI acknowledges that it will likely be a challenging season for Wednesday, particularly given the strength of the other teams in the division, but while they have limited numbers in their squad, it believes they have enough quality to stay in the second tier.

ChatGPT notes that consistency and avoiding long winless runs will be crucial for the Owls if they are to remain above the dotted line, but although it expects that a tough season will be in store for Pedersen's men, it is confident their campaign will have a positive outcome.

While the spirit and fight Wednesday have shown in the early weeks of the season has offered a glimmer of hope to supporters, it has been claimed that they could be hit with a hefty points deduction after multiple late wage payments, and should that happen, even AI would surely find it difficult to predict anything other than relegation for the South Yorkshire outfit.