Sheffield Wednesday will surely live to regret Josh Windass exit as Wrexham close in on deal
It hasn’t taken long for Josh Windass to find a new club, with Wrexham set to snap up the former Sheffield Wednesday man.
Amid all the chaos going on at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, things took a real turn for the worse late last week when Windass and Michael Smith terminated their own contracts.
Dejphon Chansiri’s failure to pay players on time paved the way for the players to escape their contracts and they are now free to find new clubs ahead of the 2025/26 season.
It seems neither have been short of offers, with Smith being eyed up by Middlesbrough and Windass now finally honing in on his ideal move to Wrexham.
- READ MORE: Thai media breaks silence on Chansiri and Sheffield Wednesday as reasons behind takeover collapse revealed
Josh Windass to undergo Wrexham medical after Sheffield Wednesday exit
As per a report from Ben Jacobs for GiveMeSport, Windass is now due to have a medical with Wrexham on Monday having agreed personal terms with the Red Dragons.
It is said Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson spoke to Windass over this weekend remotely from the tour of Australia and New Zealand to convince him to join the Welsh revolution.
Coventry City, Derby County, Leicester City, and Norwich City have also been keen to snap up the 31-year-old, and Windass had told his suitors he would make his decision this weekend.
Windass has remained quiet since leaving Wednesday, refusing to do any media interviews out of respect for the fans in S6. Clearly, he’s been entirely focused on sorting out his next move, and the prospect of joining the project at Wrexham is very exciting for Windass and his new club.
- READ MORE: How Djeidi Gassama has already angered Rangers fans after Sheffield Wednesday exit
Sheffield Wednesday could have been on par with Wrexham, now they will get left behind
For Wrexham, this is a signing of genuine Championship pedigree who will deliver goals and creativity, as well as the leadership and mentality needed to survive in the second tier.
However, for Wednesday, it’s another sad indictment of how quickly and drastically the club has fallen down the pecking order in the Championship.
After a 12th place finish last season, the Owls should have been eyeing up a promotion push this season. That’s in an ideal world, of course, but the situation at Hillsborough is now nothing short of a nightmare.
Wrexham should have been the kind of club that Wednesday would be hoping to finish above next season, but as things go from bad to worse for the Owls, they’ll now likely be looking up at Wrexham from the relegation zone.
One club is showing ambition and moving in the right direction after a few years of careful planning, shrewd investment, and incredible momentum. The other is now on a downward spiral that shows no signs of stopping.
Sheffield Wednesday and Dejphon Chansiri’s downfall stems from broken promise to fans in 2015
Not only did Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri fail to live up to one promise he uttered in 2015, but his reversal on the situation is the reason behind the club’s issues.
Sheffield Wednesday continue to face constant hurdles this summer, with preparations for the 2025/26 Championship season taking a colossal hit.
After the back-end of last season saw concerns emerge regarding players’ and staff’s payment, issues have spiralled out of control for the club, both on and off the pitch.
Several Sheffield Wednesday players have moved on, notably Josh Windass, Michael Smith, Djeidi Gassama, and Anthony Musaba, leaving the Owls with a depleted first-team squad.
Several poor decisions over the years have led to Sheffield Wednesday finding themselves in their current danger, but they all ultimately stem from one broken promise by Dejphon Chansiri back in 2015.
- READ MORE: Thai media breaks silence on Chansiri and Sheffield Wednesday as reasons behind takeover collapse revealed
What Dejphon Chansiri said when buying Sheffield Wednesday in 2015
After taking over from Milan Mandaric, Dejphon Chansiri had sizeable ambitions for Sheffield Wednesday when taking over, including taking the club to the Premier League by their 150th anniversary (2017).
Whilst it cannot be stuck on Chansiri for Sheffield Wednesday not notching promotion in the two years after purchasing the club, as they came dramatically close in the 2015/16 season, only to lose to Hull City in the Championship play-off final, courtesy of a Mo Diame screamer. The following season saw the Owls come close once again, only to fall out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage.
However, Chansiri also said: “I believe there needs to be some investment into the club but just throwing money is not a guarantee of success. We need to do it in a smart, sustainable manner.”
The early years of the Chansiri reign saw Sheffield Wednesday spend recklessly, with a fee around the region of £10m being spent on Jordan Rhodes, whilst wages were also on the lofty side before the Owls were hit with relegation to League One.
- READ MORE: Michael Smith shares emotional message to Sheffield Wednesday fans after Owls exit, ‘your club will…’
Owls’ departures have severely hampered the club
It is all well and good bringing players in for hefty fees, but the way in which such stars have been managed by the club has ultimately contributed to the downfall.
Sheffield Wednesday’s five record departures only include one player from the Dejphon Chansiri era, which is an incredibly poor feat when realising that he has been a part of the club for 10 years.
Sheffield Wednesday have continuously operated at a loss, to the point where it was inevitably going to cause issues for Chansiri. Unfortunately, the ripple effects have been seismic, with it looking set to be an incredibly difficult season for Sheffield Wednesday.
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