Sheffield Wednesday takeover news: Mike Ashley's next move, Ryan Howsam named, shock Sheffield United development | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday takeover negotiations are continuing, so here's an update on the latest from Hillsborough as the club prepare for a fresh start.

With an announcement likely within the next couple of weeks, the identity of Sheffield Wednesday's new owners will soon become clear.

The Steel City Derby didn't go the way they wanted, but off the field stories are continuing to dominate the headlines regarding Sheffield Wednesday. Almost 33,000 people packed into Hillsborough to see United win 3-0, but Wednesday fans will be hoping for news of a far more important win in the very near future.

Wednesday have been in administration for almost five weeks now, and the administrators confirmed a couple of weeks ago that they had the working capital to see the club through to the new year, by which time it is hoped that the club's future will be looking considerably more clear.

But with rumour and counter-rumour circling concerning what that future might look like, there's still a lot to unpack surrounding the future of the club, so here's a round-up on the latest from Hillsborough on the Sheffield Wednesday takeover.

Mike Ashley tables £20m bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday

News broke on Wednesday afternoon that Mike Ashley had tabled a £20m bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday, via The Telegraph. They also confirmed another four bids had been tabled.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported on the 25th November that five bids have been made to buy Sheffield Wednesday, with a further two expected. The administrators had given a 'soft deadline' of the 21st November - which was four weeks from the date that the club was put into administration, satisfying EFL rules requiring clubs in administration to be advertised as for sale for 28 days - but are understood to still be in negotiation.

The Mail's report also confirmed that "it is acknowledged that the winning party would effectively be buying a League One club", which indicates that relegation is now fully anticipated on the part of everybody involved in the sale process.

A Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United merger

The Daily Telegraph reported on the 25th November about inquiries made to the administrators regarding the sale of the club, and that one of them reportedly came from the American owners of Sheffield United.

They confirmed that "representatives for COH Sports were among 80 parties to make initial calls to Wednesday’s administrators over the past month or so" and that, astonishingly, their question regarded buying Sheffield Wednesday and merging the club with Sheffield United.

It is vanishingly unlikely that this will progress anywhere beyond that initial inquiry, although Sheffield United fans may be concerned at their club's owners having such a lack of understanding of the culture of football in this country.

Ryan Howsam bid for Sheffield Wednesday confirmed

A report on the financial website This Is Money has confirmed that the Dubai-based entrepreneur Ryan Howsam has made a bid to buy the club. The report confirms that Howsam "is among the bidders for beleaguered Championship club Sheffield Wednesday". This all follows on from reports in The Times two weeks ago that he was considering making a bid to buy the club.

Howsam has been a Dubai resident for 20 years, having formed the Staysure travel insurance company in 2004, and remains the company's chief executive. He is also the owner of golf's Legends Tour. In a 2024 feature in The Sun, they confirmed that Staysure had a value "heading towards £1billion" and "employs over 1,000 people". The report on This is Money also confirms that Wednesday are his "hometown club".

EFL grant permission for a further new player for Sheffield Wednesday

The threadbare nature of the Sheffield Wednesday squad has been the key reason why they have been struggling on the pitch in the Championship this season, but Sky Sports have reported that the EFL have cleared the club to bring in a further player to add to Liam Cooper, who made his debut for them in the Steel City Derby as a 41st-minute replacement for the injured Dominic Iorfa.

Wednesday currently have six players out with injuries, and may lose more players with the commencement of the African Cup of Nations in January.

Sky Sports have reported that "former Millwall, Sunderland and Middlesbrough forward Duncan Watmore and ex-Burnley, Southampton and Birmingham winger Nathan Redmond have been training with Wednesday with a view to potentially signing, but no deal has yet been advanced with either free agent".

The sale of Sheffield Wednesday could negate any further points deductions for next season

The Sheffield Star has reported that the sale of Sheffield Wednesday could prevent any further points deductions from being applied by the EFL.

They reported that "the strength of offers they had received were enough to satisfy the creditors the club owes on", and that this could be enough to prevent the dreaded scenario for Sheffield Wednesday fans, that they start next season with a 15-point deduction, regardless of which division they happen to play in.

Two possible further points deductions for breaches of EFL regulations could yet be applied, though these are understood to be set to be taken from their total for this season. If Wednesday can offer their creditors more than 25p in the pound, they would escape further punishment at the start of next season.

The Star were reporting comments made by administrator Kris Wigfield prior to the Steel City Derby on Sunday lunchtime, when he told BBC Radio Sheffield: "We’re optimistic because we’ve seen the level of bids coming in. These are going to mean we can fulfil our duties to hit 25 pence to the pound to the creditors, which will mean the club will not hit any further sanctions."