Sheffield Wednesday: Dejphon Chansiri must listen to clear Danny Rohl relegation warning | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl issued a firm warning to owner Dejphon Chansiri ahead of the summer transfer window.

With the end of the season fast approaching, it is set to be an uncertain summer for Sheffield Wednesday.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Wednesday emerged as surprise play-off contenders in the first half of the campaign, but a decline in form since the turn of the year has seen Danny Rohl's side fall away from the top six.

In addition to the poor results, the Owls have had to contend with a host of off-field issues in recent months, including ongoing speculation over Rohl's future and the late payment of player salaries in March that almost saw the club hit with a three-window transfer ban.

There was a rare moment of positivity for Wednesday on Monday as they picked up their first home victory since New Year's Day with a 2-1 win over play-off chasing Middlesbrough, and they are still on course to achieve a top-half finish, which would represent a significant improvement from last season.

However, many Owls supporters fear that progress could be lost ahead of Rohl's expected departure this summer, and the German raised eyebrows over the Easter weekend when he fired an alarming warning in the direction of under-pressure owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Danny Rohl issues bleak Sheffield Wednesday relegation prediction

Wednesday may have ended the Easter period with an impressive comeback victory over Middlesbrough on Monday, but they suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Good Friday.

After the game, Rohl launched a scathing attack on his players, claiming that many of them are not capable of playing his preferred style of football, and he warned that a potential relegation battle could be ahead next season.

"It is a big disappointment," Rohl told The Star.

"How can I describe it? There are two things; at first we have to separate the last four or five results from the other 18 months. At the moment we are damaging our good work and I must say this.

"On the other side, the last couple of weeks, some players showed they are not able to play my style of football.

"You speak about quality, decision-making; if you want to improve as a club, you have to do a lot of things right in the summer, otherwise - and this is what I will tell you - next season will be a big, big fight to stay in this league because we have a big group of players that are not able to play at this level with my football.

"I must say this directly. I have protected my players again and again, I take responsibility and I give chances. But the result is not what it should be. I demand not special things, these are basics.

"You see that maybe we overachieved in the last 18 months. Until matchday 40 we played for a play-off position, but maybe now we see just what we did to bring this group so far. I have some fantastic players, but all in all it will be hard work for the summer."

Dejphon Chansiri must react to Danny Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday warning

Having initially been linked with the Southampton job in December, Rohl is believed to be the Saints' top summer target as they prepare for their return to the Championship, while he is also reportedly on the radar of Leicester City and RB Leipzig.

Given that Rohl's departure from Hillsborough looks inevitable, Chansiri could simply dismiss his comments as the words of a frustrated manager on the way out of the exit door, but his fears of a potential relegation battle are shared by many Wednesday supporters.

Since the victory over Derby County on New Year's Day, the Owls have picked up just 20 points from their last 19 games, with only two teams in the division recording fewer points in the same time period, and as has been seen many times before, poor form towards the end of a season can often continue into the next.

Of course, it remains to be seen who Chansiri will appoint as Rohl's successor, but the 35-year-old has certainly managed to get the best out of the players at his disposal, and without him, the lack of quality in the squad could become increasingly apparent next season.

As well as Rohl's exit, Wednesday also face the possibility of losing some of their key players, with the likes of Barry Bannan, Marvin Johnson, Josh Windass, Callum Paterson and Michael Smith all out of contract, so the new manager may be forced to oversee a big rebuild over the summer.

It could be argued that the Owls have the opportunity to put the chaos of the past six months behind them and make a fresh start this summer, but given Chansiri's reluctance to invest in the transfer market, whoever is in charge will likely have to assemble a squad on a shoestring budget, with the recent wages saga highlighting the bleak financial situation at the club.

There have been reports that Chansiri is keen for assistant Henrik Pedersen to step up to replace Rohl in the summer, but his managerial record does not make for good reading, and the appointment of an unproven coach working with a weaker squad could be the perfect storm to land Wednesday in a battle for survival next season.

While he perhaps should not have expressed his thoughts publicly, Rohl has clearly warned Chansiri about the need for investment in the summer, and the Owls chief must bring in a manager and new signings capable of taking the club forward to avoid undoing the progress made over the past 18 months.