Who James Bord grew up supporting with Sheffield Wednesday takeover in limbo | OneFootball

James Bord's consortium are awaiting ratification from the EFL to purchase Sheffield Wednesday

James Bord is the man behind the consortium that is looking to take over Sheffield Wednesday.

The former poker player has been the leading figure behind the offer, which was named by administrators Begbies Traynor as their preferred option to purchase the Owls in December.

The Englishman has experience working in football, and is a co-owner of multiple clubs already, including Scottish side Dunfermline.

He is also an owner of Spanish Córdoba, as he looks to add the Championship side to his growing investment portfolio.

Bord has also worked in English football previously through his data analytics and AI company Short Circuit Science, who partnered with Sheffield United last summer as part of their transfer and coaching recruitment.

The football club James Bord supports

It has been reported by The Times that Bord is a football fanatic, having grown up in London before moving to the United States.

The 44-year-old currently splits his time between London and Las Vegas as part of his business ventures.

It is understood that the prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner grew up supporting Tottenham Hotspur, having been born in Stanmore.

It’s unlikely that the Owls will have any direct interactions with Spurs any time soon with the London outfit currently competing in the Premier League.

However, if Bord’s plans for the Yorkshire outfit go to plan, then someday the club could be competing at the same level as Thomas Frank’s side.

Bord was named as the preferred bidder back in December, but he is still awaiting ratification from the EFL to complete the deal.

The Owners and Directors’ Test is reportedly holding up the ratification process and failure would effectively end his hopes of securing the takeover of the Championship side.

No timeframe has been given for when the EFL’s decision could be delivered, leaving the club in limbo for the time being.

Sheffield Wednesday’s difficult January

It has been a difficult 12 months for Sheffield Wednesday, and that continued into the start of 2026 with the January transfer window.

Begbies Traynor have maintained the day-to-day running of the Owls while we await a decision from the EFL regarding the prospective takeover.

While the club were able to make a number of signings late in the window, the sale of Bailey Cadamarteri came as a blow.

Yisa Alao was also sold earlier in the month, with Chelsea paying a reported £500,000 to sign the highly-rated prospect.

Henrik Pedersen’s side have been left with very few numbers to choose from across the squad as a result of their business, even with the arrivals of Joel Ndala and Tayo Adaramola on loan on deadline day.

Sheffield Wednesday also completed the temporary additions of Murphy Cooper and Jaden Heskey in the winter market, with Jerry Yates and Marvelous Nakamba also arriving as free agents.

But the Owls are set to be relegated regardless, with the team already over 30 points away from safety due to receiving 18 points worth of deductions for multiple rule breaches.

It means there will be even further ground between Sheffield Wednesday and Bord’s beloved Tottenham Hotspur next season.