An Erik Alonso takeover bid for Sheffield Wednesday has been rejected by the club’s current owner Dejphon Chansiri according to The Atheltic’s Nancy Frostrick and Dom Howson of Yorkshire Live.
Dejphon Chansiri Says ‘No’ to Erik Alonso Takeover Bid
No Deal for Former Advisor
Erik Alonso was, until January, an advisor to Sheffield Wednesday owner Chansiri but stepped down after he revealed he felt his reputation was being damaged by “forces around the club.”
Alonso was involved with a number of areas at the South Yorkshire club but was mainly thought to have been involved in recruitment. Without the exact words being said it appears that tensions existed and still exist between the two men.
Indonesian Backing
Alonso is thought to be backed by a consortium from Indonesia but the offer, rumoured to be around £30 million, doesn’t come close to what Chansiri is looking for considering the investment he has made into the club over the past six and a half years.
Alonso is the owner of WBD Sports and his Twitter profile lists him as being an investor, boxing promoter and entrepreneur.
Derby County Interest
Alonso is not only interested in one Championship football club, with Football League World reporting that the investor has also shown interest in Derby County, who have been keen to sell for some time. Mel Morris has been the owner at the East Midlands club since 2015 and has been in talks with Sheikh Khaled’s Derventio Holdings (UK) for over three months since a deal in principle had been agreed but has now turned somewhat cold.
Derby have struggled for form this season although results on the pitch have picked up since Wayne Rooney was made the permanent manager. The constant speculation is not helpful to any club and Morris may well see Alonso’s failed takeover attempt of Wednesday as an opportunity for his own club to court the investor.
Alonso Hits Back at Chansiri
When Alonso left Wednesday, Chansiri was quick to hit out at the Spaniard and Alonso himself was cutting in his response which suggests there is more to the relationship than may at first meet the eye. Alonso put on his Twitter feed: “I am aware of the interview which the owner of Sheffield Wednesday gave today. I do not want to at this stage turn this into a saga so for now will not be formally responding. When the time is right I will give my side of the story with proof.”
What Next for Sheffield Wednesday as Erik Alonso Takeover Bid Rejected?
Whether Alonso will come back with another bid for the Owls remains to be seen but if he is going to become the new owner of the club it seems he will have to substantially increase his offer before Chansiri will even give consideration to accepting any bids to takeover and remove him from the helm.
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