John McEvoy and the Storch family backed to seal Sheffield Wednesday takeover over Mike Ashley | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on whether he would like John McAvoy and the Storch family or Mike Ashley to buy the club.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

As the takeover process enters the final stages, it may not be too long until it is revealed who the next owner of Sheffield Wednesday will be.

Wednesday have been on the market since former owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club and the company through which he owned the stadium into administration in October, bringing his turbulent decade-long tenure at Hillsborough to an end.

The Owls' administrators had initially been hoping to announce a preferred bidder by 5th December, but while the process has been delayed in recent weeks, one of the interested parties could be granted a period of exclusivity as soon as Friday afternoon, although Monday is thought to be a more realistic date.

Despite making the highest offer for the club, with their bid believed to be worth in excess of £30 million, a consortium including Sheffield United advisor James Bord are no longer in the frame to buy Wednesday, with the administrators said to have had reservations over their funding and whether they would pass EFL tests.

With Bord out of the running, the race to take over the Owls is now believed to be between US billionaire John McEvoy and the Storch family, who recently teamed up to submit a joint bid for the club, and former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley.

Ashley had an initial bid of £20 million rejected last month, and his latest offer is reportedly the lowest of the bids that have been received, but the 61-year-old is still firmly in contention, with a decision on a preferred bidder expected imminently.

Sheffield Wednesday sent clear Mike Ashley warning as takeover preference revealed

When asked which of the final two candidates he would like to buy the club, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna insisted that McEvoy and the Storch family would be the best option for the Owls, and he admitted that he would be concerned if Ashley was the new man in charge at Hillsborough.

"For me, the McEvoy and Storch family bid is the one I would want out of the final two," Patrick told FLW.

"These guys clearly are looking to come to us to do something positive for the club.

"It seems that, even before administration, they were interested in the club, so obviously they do have plans and a vision for us.

"They have been in contact with the city council about infrastructure upgrades and possibly a new ground, which would be top of the list of what new owners would need to do.

"I know we don't know a massive amount about them and their exact wealth, but you don't need to be a billionaire.

"If you have a decent amount of money and know how to run a club, then that's what you need.

"I have stated my reservations about Mike Ashley, I don't like how the guy runs a football club.

"It's been mentioned that he's waiting about like a vulture, hoping that everyone else falls away and he can jump in with a cheap bid.

"He's the sort of owner who would be happy to take -15 next season, and obviously that would be a disaster.

"I don't think Mike Ashley would be in it for the good of the club, he would be in it for Mike Ashley.

"I don't think he would be putting as much into the infrastructure or have a positive vision for the club.

"Hopefully McAvoy and Storch will beat Mike Ashley in the bidding."

Mike Ashley may have two big advantages in Sheffield Wednesday takeover race

Given that Ashley was an unpopular figure at Newcastle, with Magpies supporters regularly protesting against what they perceived as his lack of ambition, it is easy to see why some Wednesday fans may be alarmed by the prospect of him taking over their club.

It is fair to say that McEvoy and the Storch family would be the more exciting option for the Owls, but as so little information is available about them, they are something of an unknown quantity, and their takeover would come with risks attached.

As Ashley has previously owned an English football club, he would have no issues passing the various EFL tests, and with a net worth of £3.12 billion, there would be no doubt that he has the required funds to take Wednesday forward, so those factors could give him a double advantage over his rivals.