How Sheffield Wednesday's transfer plans might change if James Bord beats Mike Ashley to takeover | OneFootball

We looked at how James Bord could change Sheffield Wednesday's transfer strategy if he takes over at Hillsborough amid his links to Sheffield United.

As the race to become the new owner of Sheffield Wednesday hots up, it has emerged that Sheffield United advisor James Bord is one of those in the frame to take over at Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday have been on the market since former owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club and the company through which he owned the stadium into administration in October, and despite the club's looming relegation to League One, there has been no shortage of interest.

The Owls' administrators were hoping to name a preferred bidder by 5th December, but that process has been delayed as they have yet to receive a suitable offer that will allow them to grant exclusivity to one party.

However, as the list of candidates continues to be narrowed down, there are now believed to be just three parties still in the running to buy the club, including US billionaire John McEvoy and the Storch family, who have teamed up to submit a joint bid, former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and a group involving Bord.

As he is leading the bid, it has been claimed that Bord would become Wednesday chairman if the offer is successful, but there are plenty of other figures involved in the group, including former Celtic, Hearts and Sunderland star John Colquhoun, as well as individuals based in Europe and on both sides of the Atlantic.

Bord, who runs AI-led football analytics business Short Circuit Science, currently holds stakes in Scottish side Dunfermline Athletic, Spanish club Cordoba and Bulgarian outfit Septemvri Sofia, and he is no stranger to English football having advised Sheffield United on recruitment in recent months, but his transfer dealings at Bramall Lane were certainly mixed.

James Bord's controversial Sheffield United past amid Sheffield Wednesday takeover talk

It was not that long ago that the club on the other side of the Steel City, Sheffield United, were the subject of a takeover, with COH Sports completing their £110 million purchase of the Blades last December.

Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy headed up United's takeover, but there are a number of others involved in the consortium, including Joe Russo, who soon brought Bord into the recruitment process as a consultant.

The first signings made through the use of Bord's AI model came in the January transfer window when wingers Jefferson Cacares and Christian Nwachukwu arrived at Bramall Lane, but it is fair to say those deals have not worked out, with the former departing for Dunfermline in the summer and the latter yet to make a single appearance for the club.

However, that did not deter the Blades' board from doubling down on the strategy, and disagreements between the hierarchy and Chris Wilder contributed to the 58-year-old's controversial departure in June, just weeks after his side were beaten by Sunderland in last season's play-off final.

As Bord continued to use his connections in Bulgaria, United signed defender Mihail Polendakov and winger Ehije Ukaki in the summer, but like Cacares and Nwachukwu, the pair have struggled to make an impact in South Yorkshire, with only one EFL Cup appearance between them so far this season.

While those were the most obvious examples of data-driven signings, it is possible that the AI model could also have been used to help inform the additions of other younger players, such as defender Nils Zatterstrom, who signed from Malmo for a fee of €3.3 million (£2.9 million), and midfielder Alex Matos, and neither of those deals can be considered a particular success either.

After their nightmare start to the season under Ruben Selles, it seems the Blades decided to abandon their new transfer policy to bring in more experienced players, including Japhet Tanganga, Ben Mee, Tahith Chong and Danny Ings, as well as the recent free agent signings of Jairo Riedewald and Patrick Bamford.

How Sheffield Wednesday's transfer policy could look if James Bord seals takeover deal

It is unclear how much involvement Bord still has with Sheffield United, but his interest in Sheffield Wednesday and recent reports that he was considering a move for another Championship club, Derby County, suggests his consultancy role at Bramall Lane may have come to an end, or at least be significantly reduced from what it once was.

Given that Bord was only an advisor to the Blades' board, rather than an official co-owner, he would not have been able to fully implement his AI model, and it would be unfair for Owls supporters to entirely write him off as a result of his dealings on the other half of the Steel City.

However, as few of Bord's signings for United can be considered a success, and, indeed, many have barely even featured for the club, there will understandably be concern among the Wednesday faithful about the prospect of his model being used at Hillsborough.

As the Owls virtually had no recruitment team in place for much of the Chansiri era, there is no doubt that a more modern, forward-thinking approach to transfers is needed at Hillsborough, rather than relying upon managers to do much of the work in identifying targets.

The likes of Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion have made excellent use of data-driven recruitment models over the years, but the transfer policies of those clubs have proven incredibly difficult to replicate, and Bord's questionable signings at Sheffield United suggest that he has not quite perfected it just yet.