New timescale twist in Sheffield Wednesday takeover saga emerges | OneFootball

Owls supporters will have to wait slightly longer to learn the identity of a new owner

A minor delay has emerged in the current stage of Sheffield Wednesday's takeover saga as supporters eagerly await the final outcome.

That is according to local publication, the Sheffield Star, who report that the deadline, which had previously been set for Wednesday, December 17th, has now been extended by two days as administrative group, Begbies Traynor, receive the best and final offers from bidders and consortiums who are still in the running to take control of the Owls, who have been in administration for just short of two months.

Wednesday were placed into the hands of Begbies Traynor on October 24th by controversial former owner, Dejphon Chansiri, amid fears of a winding-up order due to an unpaid £1m tax bill owed to His Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

With the aforementioned circumstances effectively ending the Thailand-based businessman's tumultuous 10-year reign in the Hillsborough boardroom, such measures were met with a huge outpouring of emotion from Wednesdayites, who have since returned to S6 in their thousands after several matches in the early stages of the campaign - most notably against Leeds United, Grimsby Town and Middlesbrough - were used for high-profile protests and boycotts.

The Steel City club were hit with an automatic 12-point deduction for entering administration, which placed Henrik Pedersen's side back at the foot of the Championship table, and they are now some 29 points adrift of safety with 25 league games remaining after being docked a further six points at the start of the month due to numerous instances of delayed wage payments and further non-payments.

As such, attention has firmly been fixed on whom the club's latest custodian will be, with a plethora of high-profile and somewhat controversial names linked with a takeover move over recent weeks and months.

This is not the first instance of a slight delay in what has been a long-standing and complicated takeover saga in South Yorkshire.

Indeed, Begbies Traynor initially hoped to grant exclusivity to their preferred bidder on Friday, December 5th. However, with no clear front-runners emerging in the race, said deadline had been pushed back to last week, and now the current week.

The Star reported on Wednesday that the administrators have set an asking price of between £30m and £35m, with such figures ensuring that creditors are paid 25 pence in the pound, as well as a non-refundable fee of exclusivity.

If such a fee is accepted and the creditors are paid, Wednesday are said to avoid a further 15-point penalty at the start of next season, which many have accepted, will be in League One.

The three bidding parties in question are ex-Newcastle United owner, Mike Ashley, who is reported to have submitted a bid lower than the minimum £30m valuation, whilst John McEvoy and the Storch Family have joined forces, and they are being rivalled by ex-professional poker player, James Bord, who has ties to Steel City rivals, Sheffield United - advising Blades owners, COH Sports, when it comes to an AI-based recruitment model.

It has since been claimed that whilst a swift conclusion is set to occur, the administrators have pushed back the end date of the takeover process' current stage until Friday, as Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts and Kris Wigfield attempt to ensure the saga ends in an appropriate manner that aids the long-term future and stability of the Championship's current crisis club.

It has also been stated that the aforementioned three bidders are also actively involved in those proceedings, which will offer a sense of relief to Wednesday supporters, albeit the latest setback when it comes to a deadline has sparked further frustration.

However, it does remain unclear when official confirmation of the club's new era will officially commence, with whichever bidder is granted exclusivity having to go through the EFL's Owners and Directors test.

Quickfire Sheffield Wednesday takeover update will have little impact on Owls players ahead of Ipswich Town

It is understandable that Wednesday supporters are somewhat frustrated with the minor hold-up in takeover proceedings. However, it is clear that light is emerging at the end of a very long tunnel.

Pedersen and his players will also not be impacted by such developments ahead of their upcoming trip to Ipswich Town, as they go in search of what would be a surprise second win of the campaign in the final round of second tier fixtures before Christmas.

With the current campaign effectively over in terms of aims for the Owls, they must continue to look forward, and they can eventually plan a major rebuild once the identity of Begbies Traynor's preferred bidder is made public.