What actually happened when David Storch met Sheffield Wednesday players | OneFootball

The prospective owners met with the Sheffield Wednesday staff and playing squad last month

Sheffield Wednesday's prospective owners, Arise Capital Partners, are laying down the groundwork to hit the ground running as and when their takeover is complete.

It's been over a month since the US consortium, led by David and his son Michael Storch, along with Tom Costin, was named the new preferred bidders for the ongoing sale process, which itself has been ongoing since late October, when former owner Dejphon Chansiri relinquished control and put the club in administration.

May 1st is the set target date for the takeover to be completed, as it would remove the need for the jurisdiction to shift from the current EFL model to the one fronted by the Independent Football Regulator, while also avoiding beginning a seventh month in administration, which would add more financial strain on an already cash-strapped club.

There's still a lot to do to meet that date, albeit with confidence growing that it could be achieved. Nevertheless, as soon as the takeover is complete, work will begin to rebuild one of the biggest sleeping giants in English football, and the foundations, from a human standpoint at least, are being laid out ahead of time.

David Storch and Arise met with Sheffield Wednesday's players last month

Alex Miller of the Sheffield Star has reported that the leading figures of the Arise consortium have met with the Wednesday squad to outline their interest in their careers and their plans for the club as and when a takeover is complete.

Club captain and Owls legend Liam Palmer has been said to have engaged in an "extended conversation" with the trio, while the rest of the players were also addressed individually.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen, who has had informal meetings with David Storch and other senior staff from the consortium, reflected the general positive feeling amongst the club in the wake of these visits.

"It's amazing," he said. "You could feel the energy from them to the players, to all of us. And this respect they show us, to go around and shake their hand, to go into the manager's room and shake hands with the coaches, it was good.

"Everyone can shake a hand, but everyone cannot do it with the right feeling, with the right emotion and with the right intention. And how they behaved here was a big lift for everyone, because they could feel we are around some people who want something good for us, and who also have an understanding of where we are right now.

"With the players, I think it was seven or eight minutes, but exactly like all other things in life, it's not about how long you have been together, it's about how you are together and the intensity in this moment."

David Storch has made plenty of effort to engage with as many Owls fans online as possible, and that, plus the meeting of the staff and players, highlights how serious the consortium wants to take their prospective ownership roles.

David Storch boost could be the reason for the upturn in Sheffield Wednesday's form

Sheffield Wednesday have picked up more points in the last three Championship outings than they did in the previous 21. And if this meeting was conducted last month, perhaps the two could correlate with each other.

The Owls have been spirited since the March international break. After losing at Stoke City, Henrik Pedersen has seen his side draw each of their last three, keeping a clean sheet at Champions-elect Coventry City along the way.

With the May 1st target fast approaching, and the prospect of having a sold-out Hillsborough on the final day with a party atmosphere planned, too, there's a rare positivity and optimism at Sheffield Wednesday that hasn't been felt in quite some time.

Three games remain in the campaign, kicking off on Wednesday night against Middlesbrough. After that, they travel to Oxford United and host West Brom on said final day.

Henrik Pedersen's side sit on -3 points, and if they can pick up just a second league win of the season and break into a positive points tally, it would be a fun end to what has been a demoralising campaign.

A lot of work has to be done when David Storch and co finally get approved as the new owners at Hillsborough, but his impact can already be seen via the players' recent newfound belief, which can only provide optimism for the future.