Kris Wigfield reacts to Sheffield United ownership twist involving COH Sports & Prince Abdullah | OneFootball

The administrator who oversaw Sheffield Wednesday's insolvency has spoken out on some potential trouble up the road at Bramall Lane.

Administrator Kris Wigfield, who oversaw Sheffield Wednesday's insolvency during the 2025-26 season, has spoken out over rumours of potential trouble at Wednesday's bitter rivals, Sheffield United.

Of all the indignities suffered by Sheffield Wednesday fans throughout the 2025-26 season, possibly the one that will stick longest in the memory may well be their relegation to League One being mathematically confirmed at Bramall Lane, the home of their bitterest rivals, Sheffield United, on the 22nd February.

By the time the two clubs met in this fixture, a combination of the transfer embargoes that decimated their first-team squad and 18 points' worth of deductions caused by their financial issues. Having failed to win in the Championship since the 20th September, Wednesday's relegation to League One was already a formality.

There remained something particularly hurtful about this of all venues being the place at which that relegation concerned, but those days are firmly in the past now. With their takeover by Arise Capital having been confirmed at the start of May, Sheffield Wednesday are now looking forward to a brighter future, but insolvency practitioner Kris Wigfield, who oversaw the club's spell in administration, has now turned his attention to the current situation at Bramall Lane.

Kris Wigfield speaks on Sheffield United winding up petition

Action Images

Kris Wigfield was the insolvency practitioner who was in charge of the day-to-day running of Sheffield Wednesday after they were put into administration in October 2025. Wigfield's responsibilities ended with the sale of the club to Arise Capital, but as a Wednesday fan he retains a keen interest in football in the Steel City.

And Wigfield has now commented on an unfolding situation going on up the road at Bramall Lane, where Sheffield United have reportedly been served with a winding up petition over an alleged unpaid amount relating to the takeover of the club.

The Lawyer had reported that the club's former owner, Prince Abdullah, has issued a winding-up petition against the holding company which owns Sheffield United. In a post on the social media platform X, Wigfield confirmed that although the winding-up petition has been issued against the holding company which owns the club rather than the club itself, there is a chance that any sanctions relating to this from the EFL could be borne by the club itself.

But Wigfield doesn't believe that this will ultimately have long-term ramifications for the Blades, having described the issuance of the petition as, "a commercial game of cat and mouse that will be resolved well before it ever gets to Court."

What fans are saying about Sheffield United's winding up petition

Action Images

But not all Wednesday fans are that concerned by the plight of their bitterest rivals:

This Blade would very much like to see Prince Abdullah back in charge at Bramall Lane:

Sheffield United's winding-up petition requires attention, but it isn't a death sentence for the club

Action Images

Although news of a winding-up petition may be concerning for fans of a football club, they don't mean anything like an immediate death sentence for the recipient. Winding up petitions are sometimes used as leverage, a collection tool against somebody who has previously been ignoring contact from a creditor, or alternatively as a contact method of last resort.

The Sheffield Star has reported on the details of the petition that has been lodged. It's been issued by Jones Day solicitors, who acted for Prince Abdullah in the sale of Sheffield United - against COH Sports Bidco, the UK limited company set up by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy to buy the Blades.

It's believed that the petition is in relation to two payments which were due in relation to the sale of the club, which have been described by the Star as "said to be higher than the £10m chunk and would have completed the purchase price."

While the issuing of a winding-up petition isn't necessarily a sign that fans would need to be alarmed over, it is something that the recipient needs to deal with. A failure to do so would mean the petition being converted into a winding-up order, which would resolve in the closure of the club. But winding-up petitions can be tested, and a business can put itself into administration to avoid any further legal action against them from proceeding.

Kris Wigfield's own description of the typical use of such a petition being, "a commercial game of cat and mouse that will be resolved well before it ever gets to Court" is certainly true, but it's not something that Sheffield United can afford to ignore.