There is a Sheffield Wednesday takeover 'snag' - it may be putting off Mike Ashley, John Textor and co | OneFootball

One factor could be preventing several parties from pursuing a Sheffield Wednesday takeover

There could be one element of a potential Sheffield Wednesday takeover which has put off a number of once interested parties.

The Owls have been up for sale since late October, when former owner Dejphon Chansiri was forced to place them into administration after being unable to satisfy a £1m HMRC bill.

Despite being hit with an automatic 12-point deduction, which has since been increased to 18, as many as 80 parties came forward to enquire about purchasing the club.

Ex-Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley made a bid of £20m for the Steel City side, which was immediately bettered by three other parties. US billionaire John McEvoy has reportedly been in the mix, whilst Sheffield United’s owners also supposedly made a shock enquiry about a potential takeover.

It was revealed last week that ex-Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan was part of a consortium alongside insurance tycoon Ryan Howsam interested in purchasing Wednesday, even providing £50m worth of funds. However, that fell through when concerns about financially compensating Chansiri appeared.

Although interest in taking over the Owls still appears to be plentiful, some parties such as Ashley and John Textor, seem to have turned their attention to other avenues, such as a Derby County takeover. There could be one key reason behind this, which involves Wednesday’s historic ground, Hillsborough.

Hillsborough factor could stop some parties from pursuing Sheffield Wednesday takeover

Even before Chansiri put Wednesday into administration, names such as Mike Ashley and John Textor were heavily linked with a potential takeover, which made them two of the most likely candidates to purchase the club once the Thai businessman was out of the picture.

However, it has been reported recently that both of these parties are now eyeing up a purchase of Derby County instead, which would lead one to assume that this means they are now no longer interested in Wednesday.

One potential reason behind this has been mooted by journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon channel, which states that the Owls’ home ground, Hillsborough, is proving to be a real issue.

Due to the fact that the ground isn’t owned by Wednesday and instead by Chansiri, a prospective owner would also have to purchase Hillsborough when buying the Owls.

Although the valuation of the stadium has been moved well below the £60m Chansiri was hoping for, it’s understood that striking an agreement for the ground has proven to be a sticking point for some interested in a takeover.

The valuation of Hillsborough is yet to be agreed upon, which has led to the original deadline to announce a new owner of December 5 being pushed back.

On the whole, having to agree a fee for Hillsborough on top of the club’s original debts is a major sticking point and one that could potentially stop the likes of Ashley or Textor pursuing a purchase.

The ground will also require a fair amount of repair work, with the North Stand temporarily closed by Sheffield City Council over the summer on safety grounds.

All this does is further increase the costs of taking over the Owls, which will naturally lead to more parties choosing to turn elsewhere.

Committed parties may choose to look past Hillsborough factor

Although Hillsborough does bring another element to purchasing Wednesday, which some parties may have chosen to overlook, it may have only acted as another way of identifying the parties most committed to a takeover.

The likes of Textor and Ashley may now have chosen to turn away from buying Wednesday, focussing on Derby County instead, but a number of committed groups are still in the running to secure a purchase.

Anyone who is completely determined to become the Owls’ next owner will be able to swallow having to pay extra for Wednesday's historic ground, as it provides just another hurdle in the way of realising their ambition.

In the end, supporters of the Steel City side may find themselves grateful that Hillsborough has proven to be a stumbling block, as it might end up acting as a unique way of finding the best candidate to take them over.