Sheffield Wednesday takeover news: EFL test clarity, James Bord restrictions, Short Circuit questions | OneFootball

FLW take a look at the latest news surrounding Sheffield Wednesday's potential takeover

There's no denying that on the current transfer front, things aren't exactly looking great for the Owls.

It's understood by The News that Swedish midfielder Svante Ingelsson is closing in on a move to Portsmouth, which is not long after Wednesday head coach Henrik Pederson dropped an update surrounding wantaway captain Barry Bannan.

Given the fact that young prospect Yisa Alao has just joined Chelsea for a reported fee of £500k, having two first-choice midfielders leave as well in this winter window would definitely be a nightmare.

So, what's the latest on the takeover which may well sort this mess out?

Clarity on EFL owners and directors test deadline

BBC Radio Sheffield's Rob Stanton is led to believe that it's very unlikely the EFL's owners and directors' tests will be concluded before the end of January.

As Stanton detailed in an explainer, January represents the only opportunity for Wednesday's administrators to raise meaningful cash until the summer, making player sales of particular importance for the Owls ahead of deadline day on February 2nd.

This, ultimately, gives a reason as to why there are multiple possible outgoings at Hillsborough this week.

Stanton then revealed that the purchase price for the club may actually decrease if key players are sold during this window. He mentions that Bord and his consortium will have negotiated a clause for this to happen.

The restrictions placed on Sheffield Wednesday preferred bidder James Bord

As for why there has been no communication from Bord and his consortium about prospective outgoings, Football Issues Correspondent, Dale Johnson, took to social media to explain exactly what the preferred bid can and cannot do.

Tweeting on his X account, Johnson stated: "Just to make a few things clear about the Sheffield Wednesday takeover process. The preferred bidder is not allowed to communicate with anyone at the club, player or staff, during the EFL process.

"The preferred bidder is not allowed to offer contracts or engage in deals…Public statements by all parties are discouraged," the Correspondent added.

Pair this with Stanton reporting that ‘nothing is imminent’ regarding the completion of the deal, as per the aforementioned explainer, perhaps Wednesdayites will have to wait a fair bit longer for some hopeful news.

Questions still surround James Bords' Short Circuit Science

According to The Guardian, there's also still not a lot known about Bords' data company, Short Circuit Science, which forms a huge part of his consortium bid for the struggling Championship outfit.

Even after the same consortium's involvement with other clubs, the AI/data aspect of it all is still apparently very 'secret'.

In an open letter to Dunfermline fans when purchasing the Scottish side last January, Bord wrote, "You may have heard about our backgrounds in data analytics and artificial intelligence and we are big believers in the impact this technology can have across the club".

But, perhaps everyone is aware of how that fared at Steel City rivals Sheffield United this past summer transfer window - especially since the transfer model seemingly played a role in manager Chris Wilder's departure before Ruben Selles came in.