Sheffield Wednesday takeover: Who is interested in buying struggling Championship club as new offers arrive - who has withdrawn from race?
Multiple names have been linked with the potential takeover of struggling Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.
The race to take over Wednesday has been hotting up since former owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club and the company through which he owned the stadium into administration last month. The Owls were deducted 12 points after entering administration, meaning that it is almost certain they will be a League One club next season, but despite that, there has been no shortage of interest in purchasing the club.
Included in this list are Mike Ashley and John McEvoy, who are both reportedly extremely keen on becoming the Owls’ next owner and remain in the mix following a call for offers to be submitted by the soft deadline of November 21. “We've had lots of interest,” revealed Sheffield Wednesday administrator Kris Wigfield to ITV Sport. “About 80 parties came forward and we're now at a stage where we've actually had some offers in.”
He added: “We've had offers on Friday, we're expecting a couple more on Monday, so we'll be at a stage where there are several interested parties that have made decent offers, so over the next two weeks we'll be trying to get it down to one preferred bidder. By the 5th of December hopefully we can announce who that is.”
Who is interested in buying Sheffield Wednesday?
John Textor: The American businessman has reportedly “registered his interest” in taking over Wednesday. He’s working with football financier Keith Harris on the bid.
Mike Ashley: The former Newcastle United owner is reportedly preparing a bid. He’s known for investing in distressed or undervalued sports assets, which could make this a fit.
John McEvony: The U.S. billionaire is said to be “among leading candidates.” He has a diverse investment background with stakes in sports and talent management.
Who has withdrawn from the race?
There have been mass rumours brewing on social media that the Walton-Penner group are interested in a Sheffield Wednesday takeover. But this is not the case, according to Kris Wigfield.
Speaking to The Star, he said over the weekend: “The club as far as I can see has never had any contact from that family and we certainly as administrators never have…There is absolutely no foundation in that rumour whatsoever.”
A Middle Eastern consortium is also no longer in the running. The Middle Eastern group, who were working with a London-based advisory firm, are said to have been deterred by the expected competitiveness of the bidding process, as well as holding reservations about how much it would cost to run the club over the coming years.