What was Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri doing before he joined the Owls? | OneFootball

We looked at what Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri was doing before his takeover of the club in January 2015.

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.

Wednesday only narrowly avoided relegation last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, but they will be aiming to climb the table in the year ahead.

It was a busy summer transfer window for the Owls that saw 11 new players arrive at Hillsborough, and few could argue that Rohl was not backed by owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Chansiri has had a difficult relationship with Wednesday supporters since buying the club from Milan Mandaric for £37.5 million in January 2015, and it has certainly been a turbulent nine-and-a-half years under his ownership.

In an attempt to achieve his target of guiding the Owls to the Premier League within his first two years in charge, Chansiri invested heavily during the early stages of his tenure, but the excessive spending during that time had big consequences, and the club were relegated to League One in 2021 following a six-point deduction.

Wednesday returned to the Championship last season, but there were protests against Chansiri throughout the campaign, with issues such as the departure of promotion-winning manager Darren Moore, high ticket prices, a lack of investment and multiple statements criticising supporters causing anger among the fan base.

The fact that Chansiri managed to convince Rohl to sign a new long-term contract and the support he has given him in the transfer market has eased some of the discontent for now, but many remain unconvinced that he is the right man to take the club forward.

As Chansiri continues to divide opinion among Owls supporters, we looked at what he was doing before his arrival at Hillsborough.

Dejphon Chansiri's business interests before Sheffield Wednesday takeover

Much of Chansiri's wealth is inherited from his family, who made their money in the seafood industry through their company Thai Union Group, which includes brands such as John West, Fisho and Chicken of the Sea.

The company is run by Chansiri's father Kraisorn, who acts as the chairman, while his older brother Thiraphong is the company president.

The Thai Union Group is the world's biggest producer of canned tuna and has a revenue of $4.2 billion, with the US and European markets accounting for 71% of the company's annual sales, primarily in the frozen food industry.

While Chansiri's personal net worth is unknown, according to Forbes, his father Kraisorn has a net worth of $575 million, which placed him 42nd on the list of Thailand's 50 richest people in 2020, so it is likely that the Wednesday owner is worth a significant amount.

In addition to the wealth passed onto him from his family, Chansiri has previously owned construction and property businesses in Thailand, while he also owns D Taxis and Elev8, who have previously made and sponsored the Owls' kits.

However, The Guardian claimed in 2019 that Chansiri was "putting more than £1m a year into the club through sponsorships by entities connected to him which are not currently commercially active companies", with both D Taxis and Elev8 named as examples.

Alan Nixon reported in June that he was turning down approaches to buy the club.

However, Chansiri was said to be looking for new investors, which would provide the club with more financial backing, but allow him to retain full control.

There have been no developments on any potential fresh investment at Hillsborough since then, with Chansiri remaining firmly at the helm, and after the backing he gave Rohl this summer, it seems unlikely there will be any protests against his ownership in the near future.