New Sheffield Wednesday takeover update emerges - 44-y/o with Sheffield United links is in contention | OneFootball

The race to become the Owls' next owner is certainly hotting up

A fresh update regarding the lengthy takeover saga at Sheffield Wednesday has emerged - one which will also intrigue supporters of their Steel City rivals, Sheffield United, with James Bord being one of the bidders for the stricken outfit.

According to Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, there are three parties who have submitted bids to take over the Championship's current crisis club, which includes Bord, a figure who holds key influence over the Blades' current recruitment strategy under the ownership of American investment group, COH Sports.

The Owls have been on the hunt for fresh investment for several weeks and months now, dating back to the turn of 2025 when initial rumours regarding delayed wage payments under the ownership of controversial former chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, were first reported.

It has been well-documented that the Thailand-based businessman, who had previously overseen just north of 10 years of matters in the Hillsborough boardroom, had failed to pay the club's players, management and general staff on time on numerous occasions, before taking the course of action which saw Wednesday placed into administration on Friday, October 24th amid fears of an expected winding-up petition as a result of a £1m tax bill which had remained unpaid to His Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

For just shy of two months, the South Yorkshire club have been in the hands of Begbies Traynor, who are still hoping to announce the identity of their preferred bidder before the new year after links to several high-profile investors and consortiums.

On the pitch, an automatic 12-point deduction for entering administration was followed up by a further six-point wipeout on December 1st due to several delayed wage payments and non-payments, whilst Chansiri was hit with a three-year ban from owning any Championship, League One or League Two side.

As such, with the club's fate effectively decided on the pitch, off-pitch developments remain the number one priority at present.

Fresh Sheffield Wednesday takeover update emerges involving 44-year-old with Sheffield United links

As previously mentioned, Keegan's report over the course of the weekend has revealed the identity of the three investors/consortiums who have placed official bids on the table for the trio of Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts and Kris Wigfield to assess.

It was hoped that such developments would have taken place by Friday, December 5th. However, whilst the aforementioned deadline has since been pushed back, the trio of administrators remain hopeful that a swift resolution to the long-standing saga can be made in the coming days.

It has also been widely reported that as little as £30m could be enough for the preferred bidder to be handed the keys to the Hillsborough boardroom due to a lack of a clear front-runner, despite the fact that several interested parties have well-known links to the world of football ownership.

This includes former Newcastle United chairman, Mike Ashley, who had previously failed with a £20m bid on November 26th, whilst the Frasers Group executive has also been linked with a move for Wednesday's divisional rivals, Derby County.

Keegan's report also references the interest shown in the Owls from both John McEvoy and the Storch Family, after it was recently reported that the two had joined forces due to the lack of a front-runner, with the former holding a loose link to the club through ties with Reverend and the Makers, whose lead singer, Jon McClure, is a season-ticket holder, whilst the latter were linked with a takeover of Plymouth Argyle in the summer alongside Gareth Bale.

A fresh twist has emerged from such revelations, though, and it is that Bord remains in the running, despite his close ties with Sheffield United.

Bord is currently co-owner of Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic and a minority stakeholder in Spanish La Liga 2 outfit, Córdoba CF, having made his name as a professional poker player.

Through his current company, Short Circuit Science, the Londoner has been involved with COH Sports' newly-adopted AI-driven approach to transfers at Bramall Lane after they acquired the Blades for £111m last December.

Sheffield Wednesday supporters may be wary of Sheffield United transfer mishaps amid James Bord links

Just a matter of weeks ago, it was reported that one of several interested parties in the takeover race had put forward the idea of merging the Owls and Blades - a predicament which caused major outrage from both sets of supporters.

It is no surprise, therefore, that links involving Bord have also sparked major discourse, as well as the fact he has also been linked with a a takeover move for Derby County.

Of course, it remains to be seen what Bord's role at Hillsborough could look like in comparison to his line of work in S2. However, those in S6 will be wary of the handful of transfer mishaps United have recently made.

This included the trio of Ben Godfrey, Tyler Bindon on Louie Barry on loan from Atalanta, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, with Football League World exclusively revealing that all three deals are expected to be cut short, whilst Chris Wilder issued a telling statement regarding the outlook of his team following their 2-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion on Friday.