When Sheffield Wednesday could have new owners by - It's been revealed | OneFootball

After Sheffield Wednesday went into administration on Friday, the club could potentially be under new ownership before the end of the year.

After former owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club into administration on Friday, Sheffield Wednesday could potentially be under new ownership before the end of the year.

Wednesday endured a nightmare final few months under the ownership of Chansiri, with financial problems and off-field issues plunging them into crisis, but his decade-long tenure came to a sudden end on Friday when he made the decision to put the club and the company through which he owned Hillsborough stadium into administration.

The Owls were hit with an immediate 12-point deduction after going into administration, which means they currently sit bottom of the Championship table on minus six points and are 16 points from safety, but while they will almost certainly be relegated to League One this season, Chansiri's exit should make it much easier for the club to be sold.

With Chansiri no longer in control, Wednesday supporters returned in their numbers to back the team on Saturday, with 27,261 in attendance for the 2-1 home defeat to Oxford United, but despite more than £500,000 being spent on tickets and merchandise in recent days, fans have been urged to continue spending to help stabilise the club's precarious financial situation.

The need for cash highlights the importance of a takeover being completed soon, and a number of individuals have been credited with an interest in the Owls, including former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor, ex-Newcastle United chief Mike Ashley and businessman David Richards.

However, it seems Wednesday are not the only club in Textor's sights, with The Athletic reporting on Monday morning that the American businessman has made a £400 million bid for Wolverhampton Wanderers, while he is also keeping an eye on Charlton Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, Derby County and Watford in addition to Wednesday.

Wednesday may only have been in administration for a matter of days, but it seems there has been no shortage of interest in the club, with joint-administrator Kris Wigfield revealing there are already a number of credible parties at the table.

"As always, you get a lot of interested parties that probably aren't going to meet the criteria, but within the numerous inquiries we've had, we certainly think that there are already four or five interested parties that look like the real deal," Wigfield told BBC 5 Live's Wake Up To Money programme.

Wigfield revealed that, due to EFL regulations, a preferred bidder cannot be chosen until the club has been on the market for 28 days, but he insisted he was hopeful that the Owls could be under new ownership before the end of the year.

"Due to EFL rules, we have to market the club for 28 days," Wigfield said.

"So it'll be at least 28 days before we're getting close to a preferred-bidder status.

"So I'm hopeful that by the end of November, if things go well, we might know who's going to buy the football club.

"Then hopefully a deal can be concluded this calendar year, so that the new owner is in for... the January transfer window, if the EFL allows the new owner to buy players."

Sheffield Wednesday fans will be increasingly hopeful after fresh ownership reveal

After months of silence during the final stages of Chansiri's tenure, the regular communication from the joint-administrators in recent days has been a breath of fresh air for Wednesday supporters, and it seems there are plenty of reasons for them to be optimistic.

Wigfield revealed that any prospective buyer must prove that they have sufficient funds to make the club financially viable for the next few years, as well as demonstrating that they can pass the EFL's fit and proper persons test, and the fact there are already four or five credible parties showing interest is a huge positive for the Owls.

Of course, Wigfield and his fellow administrators will want to take time to do all the necessary due diligence and ensure that they are leaving the club in safe hands, but it seems it may not be too long before an exciting new era gets underway at Hillsborough.