When Sheffield Wednesday fans can expect more takeover news as December 5th date in doubt | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday fans may have to wait a little bit longer to find out who their new owners will be

Sheffield Wednesday may have to wait slightly longer to find out who will be the preferred bidder for the club beyond the initial soft deadline of December 5.

The Owls were placed into administration in late October by former owner Dejphon Chansiri, after he was unable to satisfy a £1m HMRC bill.

Despite being hit with an automatic 12-point penalty, which all but confirms their relegation down to League One unless they can produce a miracle, as many as 80 parties showed an interest in buying the Steel City side.

That list has since been whittled down to only the most serious parties, with bids already flying in. Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley made an initial offer of £20m, which was immediately bettered by three other groups.

US billionaire John McEvoy has long been linked with a takeover, alongside names such as local entrepreneur Ryan Howsam and Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen.

Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan recently revealed that he fronted a consortium that was interested in purchasing the club, but has since removed himself from the process.

A deadline of December 5 was set as a potential soft date when a new buyer could be announced. However, that now looks in doubt.

Sheffield Wednesday takeover deadline potentially extended

Sheffield Wednesday supporters will be eagerly anticipating the moment they find out who will become their next owner, but they may have to wait a little bit longer than expected.

When speaking to The Athletic, Paul Stanley of Begbies Traynor, the administrative group in charge of selling the Owls, opened up on how the process is going.

Stanley revealed that the deadline of December 5 was originally in place, but due to the fact that multiple parties all need to visit Hillsborough, it may be extended further.

“We wanted, ideally, to go exclusive with someone by December 5,” stated Stanley.

“But I think the fact that there are five, possibly six, people who all need to come and visit the stadium, ask questions of the lawyers and us, that's probably going to get pushed out another week or so."

Sheffield Wednesday fans may appreciate deadline extension

Although some fans will want to hear who their new owner will be as soon as possible, most Wednesday fans will appreciate a deadline extension.

The last thing they will want is a rushed process, just because the administrators are trying to work in an unrealistic timeframe.

Instead, by extending the date by which an announcement can be made, they can take a lot more time to make sure they’re selecting the absolutely perfect candidate to become the Owls’ next owner.

In the end, Wednesday will appreciate this, as it gives them the best possible opportunity to succeed in the future following the takeover.

Having experienced such a torrid time under Chansiri, the Steel City side simply can’t risk a repeat of anything similar to that tenure.