Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri has denied that the Owls have held talks with former Wigan Athletic manager Paul Cook over the club’s vacant managerial role and criticised recent comments made by the 53-year-old.

The Owls are still looking for the right candidate to come in and replace Tony Pulis and help guide them to safety in the Championship. It had been reported by TalkSPORT that Cook had held talks with the club over the vacant managerial position, but that talks were no longer ongoing. While it has been reported by The Athletic that he has turned down an offer to take over until the end of the campaign.

Cook has also recently hinted that there might be some issues at the club that would prevent him from taking the job. The 53-year-old suggested that such issues include the potential factor that he might not be allowed full control over how he would want to manage the owls. Although, despite those comments, Yorkshire Live have reported that he would be keen on the job.

Quiz: Who has done more of these 15 things out of Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United?

Speaking to Yorkshire Live, Chansiri insisted that the Owls as of yet have not held talks with Cook over the vacant managerial position at the club. The Sheffield Wednesday owner also suggested that he thought the 53-year-old had behaved in an ‘unprofessional’ fashion with his recent comments to the media about the job.

He said: "I have never talked with Paul Cook. I think he is a good coach.

"My colleagues have told me that Paul Cook has been interviewed and was offered a short term contract. It is not true.

"I think the way he has done things is unprofessional.

"How can I trust and believe someone who is unprofessional and then call them to interview? If you want me to interview, you can do it the correct way but that does not mean to say it outside.”

The verdict

These comments from Chansiri certainly suggest that it is unlikely that Cook is going to get the job at Sheffield Wednesday now. It has become a bit of a saga now and that is a shame because the former Wigan boss looks like a very suitable candidate for the role, and he would be a very popular appointment amongst supporters.

This is not really a good situation for either Sheffield Wednesday or Cook, with public comments being made from either side. The Owls will have to hope that these sorts of comments from Chansiri do not put off any other potential suitors for the role, while it seems like the 53-year-old’s chances of the job have been affected by his comments in the media.

Sheffield Wednesday need to avoid this becoming a distraction from their managerial hunt and the Owls are needing to sort out who will lead their survival push very quickly. The longer it goes the more of an uphill struggle it could be for whoever comes into the club.