Sheffield United: Revelation about James Bord emerges amid Derby County takeover links - it involves Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

The Sheffield United figure has been linked with a takeover of Derby County

Sheffield United’s James Bord was directly involved in the club's takeover enquiry of Sheffield Wednesday last month, it has been claimed.

According to The Star, the former poker player was a part of the approach regarding a possible takeover of the Blades’ bitter local rivals - one which has since been knocked back.

COH Sports were linked with a sensational merger of the two Championship sides, with the Owls currently seeking a new owner after going into administration under Dejphon Chansiri.

The Sheffield United owners purchased the South Yorkshire outfit 12 months ago, and Bord also has ties with Dunfermline of Scotland, as well as Bulgarian side Septemvri Sofia and Spanish club Cordoba.

However, Bord is not a part of COH Sports and instead works in a consultant role for the network, having been credited with driving a data-driven model that utilises AI to aid player recruitment - although that has not really worked out so far for the Blades.

James Bord’s involvement in Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday merger links

It’s understood that Bord was involved in the takeover enquiry for Sheffield Wednesday last month that sparked speculation over a potential merger between the two rivals.

The COH Sports consultant is not directly a part of the Sheffield United ownership group, and thus is able to complete his own deal for a team in the Championship without running afoul of the FA’s multi-club ownership regulations.

It has been claimed that Bord’s influence at Bramall Lane has waned in recent months, with the businessman taking some of the blame for the failed appointment of Ruben Selles, with the Spaniard lasting just seven games in charge.

Furthermore, it was reported by Alan Nixon at the weekend that Bord is also one of the interested parties in a potential takeover at Derby County as well on the back of ex-Crystal Palace owner John Textor's continued pursuit of the club.

James Bord’s waning influence at Sheffield United may be for the best

Bord’s company Short Circuit is reportedly heavily involved in Sheffield United’s data-driven player recruitment, with the signings of Jefferseon Caceres, Christian Nwachukwu and Mihail Polendakov all credited to him.

Given none of those players have made any kind of impact for the Blades, with Caceres moved on already to another Bord-involved club in Dunfermline, then it is perhaps for the best that his influence at Bramall Lane is in decline.

The appointment of Selles as manager also proved a disaster, and talk of a merger with Sheffield Wednesday did not go down well with supporters - now his involvement in that has been revealed, it's more-than likely not going to end well for Bord.