Sheffield Wednesday takeover: David Storch sent clear message by Marvin Johnson | OneFootball

The former Wednesday promotion hero has sent a message to the new prospective owners

Sheffield Wednesday are gearing up for a League One return, after they became the first side in EFL history to be relegated in February when they lost the Steel City derby last month.

The focus now is on ensuring that new owners are in place heading into next season, as the Owls have been in administration since October, when Dejphon Chansiri's decade-long reign as Wednesday's owner finally came to an end.

The goal is for the administration to be over by May, with the new preferred bidders, Arise Capital Partners, led by David Storch, currently undergoing the EFL Owners and Directors Test to ensure they're fit and proper to take the club forward.

And, after everything that the Owls fans have gone through over the last five years or so, they're just hoping that Storch and co are in this for the right reasons, and that they want the club to thrive, rather than just have Wednesday as one of their assets to make a profit on.

Marvin Johnson sends clear message to David Storch

That notion is reflected in the views of former Wednesday players, too, as Marvin Johnson, who spent four years at Hillsborough between 2021 and 2025, and was one of the many senior players who departed the club last summer, slammed Dejphon Chansiri's management and ownership, and pleaded that the new owners come in "with their eyes wide open."

Speaking to the Football League Paper, the 35-year-old, who is currently without a club after leaving Port Vale shortly after former Wednesday manager Darren Moore was sacked in December, spoke about his experiences in the final few months of his time in South Yorkshire.

"There was no money coming in. I was there for four years, and nothing changed. The only thing we got was a new set of goalposts," he said.

"The hardest part was not getting paid. We'd have team meetings about it, saying, 'Lads, listen, if we don't get paid by next week, we need to make a stand.'

"But on the flip side of that, either we stand against one man, or we basically let 25,000 people down who are coming to watch the game. In the end, we always thought, 'Well, he's not with us, but the fans are, so let's just try and ride through it.'"

Ultimately, getting Wednesday back on its feet and back in the Championship will be a long process, and it'll take someone with dedication and resolve to be the man behind it.

Johnson hopes that Storch and the rest of his Arise Capital Partners group can be just that and put time, effort, and care into ensuring that the club returns to its past powers.

"I do think an investor needs to go into it with their eyes wide open. It can't be about getting a return at this stage," he added.

"For me, I've always said that it needs a die-hard football fan that just wants to own a football club no matter what and has got so much money they can throw into the club without a care in the world and do whatever needs to be done.

"But that's easy to say, isn't it? It's a lot harder to find."

Sheffield Wednesday's situation should give the idea that David Storch is the right man

Sheffield Wednesday.

With a 15-point deduction looming to start next season, as the expected bid from Arise Capital Partners doesn't satisfy the EFL's insolvency rules, and the possibility of a wage cap being placed upon the Owls, there's a very high likelihood that Wednesday may be involved in yet another relegation battle in League One next season.

Therefore, David Storch and co may be effectively buying a League Two side for just under £20 million, a figure which would be a massive overpay if the worst were to happen.

So, the fact that Arise is still going ahead with the purchase, depending on EFL tests, shows that they're invested in the club for the long run and are hopeful of seeing it thrive once more, as they likely wouldn't be making much of a profit in the near future.

Hopefully, that'll be the case. Johnson was one of the stars in the 'Miracle of Hillsborough' when Wednesday were last promoted to the Championship, and both he and the Owls fans are hoping there can be some more heroes made in the near future.