Sheffield Wednesday takeover relief after John Textor update - ‘risk’ claim made | OneFootball

John Textor, who had been linked with buying Sheffield Wednesday, saw his Eagle Football Group enter administration.

Sheffield Wednesday are hoping they can finally look ahead to a bright future as the Storch family close in on their takeover of the club.

The US group have significant wealth behind them, and they have been keen on investing in English football for some time, and David Storch’s visit to Sheffield have convinced many fans they would be great owners for the Owls.

However, it could’ve been very different for Wednesday, as James Bord was previously named as the preferred bidder, but he withdrew himself from the process, much to the delight of fans of the Yorkshire club.

As well as that, John Textor had thrown his name into the ring to buy Sheffield Wednesday, with the former Crystal Palace co-owner having held talks with Dejphon Chansiri.

John Textor’s Eagle Football Group goes into administration

Those discussions didn’t progress, and that is a relief for Wednesday, as it was revealed last month that Textor’s Eagles Football Holdings Bidco were put into administration.

So, the administrators are looking for buyers for Eagles’ majority stakes in Botafogo, Lyon and RWDM Brussels.

Even though Textor’s interest in Wednesday didn’t ever advance to a serious stage, it obviously would’ve been a major concern had someone with his background bought the club, along with this latest revelation.

When quizzed by FLW if this was a bullet dodged for the Owls, Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna admitted that it does look like that was the case, as he reiterated the need for stability, as opposed to the ‘baggage’ that would come with Textor.

“Looking back, it certainly seems that Textor is a person to swerve, and it’s a positive that we ended up avoiding him in the end.

“There was always a lot of baggage with Textor, a lot of unnecessary risk which wasn’t needed. With the potential new owners, there’s none of this hanging over them, and it means they can focus on the club.

“I get this feeling that with Textor we were part of this wider football group, and there’s no guarantee we would get the focus we deserved, or that we wouldn’t be used to help another one of his teams.

“There’s varying levels of success with his clubs, but it seems he’s never far from controversy, and after the chaos of Chansiri, I want calmer owners and less drama. Unfortunately, I think Textor would’ve brought that. I suppose we’ll never know how interested he was, but I’m certainly relieved he didn’t get it over the line.”

Sheffield Wednesday need stability once the Storch family complete their takeover

Many would echo these comments here, as Sheffield Wednesday have been dragged through the mud over the years by the way Chansiri had operated.

We don’t know how things will play out with Textor, but it’s fair to say the noise surrounding him is often negative, and, as outlined above, he brings baggage and controversy that the Owls just don’t need.

You don’t get that vibe with the Storch family, and whilst they will ultimately be judged on their actions, the way David Storch has interacted and listened to fans is very encouraging.

So, after talk involving Bord and Textor, all connected to Sheffield Wednesday will be delighted that the Storch family are poised to complete a deal to buy the club, although they won’t be getting carried away until it is finalised.