Portsmouth Championship rivals hit with EFL transfer embargo a year on from similar sanction

Portsmouth’s Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday have been placed under a transfer embargo by the EFL after failing to satisfy a HMRC payment deadline.

The news was confirmed on Thursday and the club have announced they are ‘seeking to resolve’ the issue at the ‘earliest possible opportunity’. This sanction comes a year on from a previous embargo over a similar infringement.

This time last year, Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri revealed he was concerned the club would be unable to pay player and staff wages for October 2023 on time amid ‘cashflow issues’. Following the revelation to the Sheffield Star, the 56-year-old reached out to fans and asked for them to help raise £2 million to avoid a multi-window transfer embargo. All wage payments and an outstanding HMRC debt were paid within 24 hours of Chansiri’s plea.

The Sheffield Star has now reported that current players and staff have all been paid on time, so the club is not at risk of any sanction on that front this time. Currently, the embargo will not immediately affect the Owls as they are outside of a transfer window.

Of course, clubs are able to sign out of contract players on free transfers outside of the window. Some Championship sides have opted to take this approach to bolster their squads but Owls manager Danny Röhl informed the media this week that his side are not on the market for free agents.

There is also hope within the club that Sheffield Wednesday will be able to resolve the problem before the winter window opens for business on January 1st. They will only be impacted by the sanction if it trickles into the new year.

A spokesperson for the club told the Star: “Sheffield Wednesday can confirm a current EFL embargo which we are seeking to resolve at the earliest possible opportunity. This is a temporary issue and a consequence of significant and as yet unpaid sums of money owed to the chairman which in turn has impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow. We expect this situation to be finalised imminently, at which point the embargo will be lifted.”

Portsmouth faced Sheffield Wednesday last Friday in a bid to move up the table but lost 2-1 despite Pompey taking the lead through Connor Ogilvie. The Owls are currently 13th in the Championship table on 15 points.