Sheffield Wednesday set to receive John Textor takeover bid - Owls stars may be divided | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are likely to be sold and John Textor, whose interest is long-standing, is being reported as being among the interested parties.

American businessman John Textor is reportedly ready to join the list of prospective bidders for Sheffield Wednesday after the club were placed into administration this week.

There was a surprisingly carnival-like atmosphere around Hillsborough on Saturday, with a season-high attendance of 27,261 turning out for Sheffield Wednesday's home Championship match against Oxford United.

But while the match itself ended in a 2-1 home defeat which left Wednesday anchored to the foot of the Championship table, the reason for the celebratory nature of the mood at the ground was clear; relief at the end of the Dejphon Chansiri era at the club.

The incoming administrators will be charged with the task of maintaining Sheffield Wednesday as a going concern, and the most painless way to manage this is to sell the club.

Potential buyers who were put off by Chansiri's asking price may re-emerge from the woodwork, and one of those whose potential interest in the club was significantly trailled in the media over the summer is already being reported as being a potential bidder.

John Textor ready to launch Sheffield Wednesday takeover bid

Journalist Alan Nixon reports via Patreon on Sunday that John Textor, former part-owner of Crystal Palace, is prepared to join the list of bidders for Sheffield Wednesday to bring the club out of administration, and towards a brighter future.

Textor had previously been in contact with Chansiri about a possible sale of the club, but it's understood that this never got as far as making a formal bid to buy the club.

The 60-year-old businessman, who is the founder of Eagle Football Holdings Limited which owns Brazilian club Botafogo and French giants Lyon respectively, is said to be unmoved over the prospect of taking over a club in League One, and will discuss the cost of a takeover with club administrators, Begbies Traynor.

But this may all be something of a mixed message for both Wednesday's fans and players since, according to Nixon, Wednesday players were informed that Textor was purchasing the club from Chansiri in the summer, but a formal offer never arrived.

As such, Nixon suggests that there may be mixed feelings among the Owls squad over his potential takeover, while Textor's involvement with other clubs has not been without its blemishes.

Administration may lead to more realistic valuations for Sheffield Wednesday

John Textor is described by Nixon as wanting a new club for his Eagle Holdings empire, with this being as a result of him having sold his minority shareholding in Crystal Palace to the New York Jets owner Woody Johnson during the summer.

Textor's record at the other clubs within his multi-club structure has seen mixed results.

Brazilian giants Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores under his ownership, but fans in Belgium protested his group's decision to rename their club 'Daring Brussels' from RWB Molenbeek, while the financial difficulties of his French club Olyimpique Lyonnais have been much-reported.

He was reported to be working with EFL financing specialist Keith Harris during the summer, and though this trail has run somewhat cold, there's little to suggest that he wouldn't be able to raise the capital to make an offer.

With Dejphon Chansiri's much-reported valuation of Sheffield Wednesday having reportedly been a wholly unrealistic £100 million, Textor - as with all potentially interested buyers - will be hoping that the incoming administrators are more realistic in their assessment of the club's actual value.

If the players themselves were told during the summer that an offer might be coming from Textor which never turned up, their reticence may be well-founded.

But Sheffield Wednesday fans will at least be relieved to see that there is a likelihood of movement in the direction of getting back to the secure grounding that has slipped from under their feet throughout the course of 2025.