How Mike Ashley has reacted to shock Sheffield Wednesday takeover twist | OneFootball

Mike Ashley has been back in contact with Sheffield Wednesday after James Bord's proposed takeover fell through on Wednesday.

It's been a whirlwind 24 hours for Sheffield Wednesday and their supporters, with a proposed takeover by a James Bord-led consortium collapsing on Wednesday afternoon, before those on the pitch broke yet another Championship record in the evening.

Mere hours after the Owls' preferred bidder dropped out of the race to purchase the club, the team were beaten 2-0 at Carrow Road by Norwich City. It was Henrik Pedersen's side's 11th straight defeat in the league, beating the previous record set by Rotherham United of 10 during the 2016/17 campaign.

Supporters may be fearing that their chances of winning another game this season are starting to slide away before their eyes. Nevertheless, the main priority remains finding a new preferred bidder for the South Yorkshire outfit.

Now, it has emerged that one of the parties who was interested in purchasing the club earlier in the campaign has returned to the table, and he has been in contact once again with those currently running Sheffield Wednesday at this time.

Ex-interested party back in contact with Sheffield Wednesday after James Bord pulls out of deal

According to Rob Dorsett, there are three parties still keen on returning to the negotiating table at Hillsborough following the collapse of Bord's proposed takeover, and it has now been revealed who one of those are.

Mike Ashley has been keeping a keen eye on the situation at Sheffield Wednesday for a number of months, and now he has contacted the administrators as he looks to take the club out of administration ahead of the 2026/27 League One campaign.

However, it has also been reported that the price that Ashley was prepared to pay for the club before Bord's exclusivity period was lower than that of other parties.

It is not currently known if the 61-year-old is willing to up his offer right now in order to beat rival parties to Sheffield Wednesday. Nevertheless, it seems likely that another one of those interested in the Owls is David Storch after he released a statement on Tuesday that he would step in if Bord's deal was to collapse.

Mike Ashley has a bizarre relationship with football that may alarm Sheffield Wednesday

Ashley is mostly known for his time in charge of Newcastle United between 2007 and 2021, in what was arguably the Magpies' most unstable period of the last 40 years as they suffered relegation to the Championship twice, and supporters stayed away from St. James' Park in protest.

He was the founder and CEO of Sports Direct International between 1982 and 2018, and continued that role until 2022 as the company changed its name to Frasers Group plc, and despite stepping down from that position, he remains in the boardroom.

Ashley does have a significant net worth, with The Sunday Times' 2025 Rich List reporting that he is worth £3.12bn. This is a huge draw for Sheffield Wednesday, and the savvy businessman would be able to fund the club throughout their rebuild.

However, Newcastle supporters will always have a negative outlook towards the Walsall-born retail entrepreneur, and his lack of consistent spending on the Premier League side during his time will raise alarm to fans of the Owls.