Mike Ashley told what the "absolute priority" is if he wins Sheffield Wednesday takeover race | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has named the two things Mike Ashley must do if he completes a takeover of the club.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Former Newcastle United chief Mike Ashley remains in the frame to become the new owner of Sheffield Wednesday as the club's takeover process continues.

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, which brought his turbulent decade-long tenure at Hillsborough to an end.

Ashley has been out of football ownership since selling Newcastle to a Saudi-led consortium for a fee of £305 million back in October 2021, but he has been linked with Derby County and Reading in recent years, and he is now pursuing a deal for the Owls.

It was revealed last month that Ashley had an initial £20 million bid rejected for Wednesday, but the 61-year-old is believed to be considering making an improved offer, and the latest update on the takeover race suggests that he is still firmly in contention.

Ashley is reportedly one of three parties who remain in the running to take over the Owls, along with US billionaire John McEvoy and the Storch family, who recently joined forces in an attempt to get their hands on the club, as well as a group that includes former Sheffield United consultant James Bord.

Wednesday's administrators had originally hoped to name a preferred bidder by 5th December, but they have yet to receive a suitable offer that would allow them to grant one party exclusivity, so the wait to find out who will be the next owner of the troubled Championship club will go on for just a little while longer.

Mike Ashley sent two clear Sheffield Wednesday demands amid ongoing takeover talk

When asked what Ashley's two main priorities should be if he was to complete a takeover deal, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna claimed that the ex-Newcastle owner must improve the infrastructure at the club, particularly the stadium and the training ground, and form a proper transfer plan to help the Owls climb the leagues.

"If Mike Ashley is the owner of Sheffield Wednesday, what he has to do as a priority first of all is look at the infrastructure of the club," Patrick told FLW.

"The ground needs a lot of repairs done, especially the North Stand, so that has to be addressed.

"I know at Newcastle, he put minimal money into the infrastructure, but this can cannot be kicked down the road any longer.

"We cannot be in a situation where the North Stand is threatened with closure again or we see the capacity reduced in other stands if the Safety Advisory Group aren't happy with the stadium, so that is an absolute priority, as well as the training ground.

"It has to be included in his plans to look at the infrastructure of the club, we are way behind other clubs in terms of training facilities.

"Off the pitch, that's a massively important area.

"What we also need is a proper plan for transfers and planning for a season in League One.

"We essentially have extra time because we know where we're going to be playing next season, so if it's Mike Ashley, he would have to be in negotiations with the EFL to understand what restrictions are going to be in place going forward.

"He would have to work around it to get a squad that isn't just going to be competitive in League One next season, but would also have an eye on competing in the Championship the season after that.

"There would need to be a bit of long-term planning and a proper transfer strategy, just so that we are not in the same loop of not planning correctly and feeling the consequences of it."

Mike Ashley must not repeat Newcastle United approach at Sheffield Wednesday

As Patrick said, Ashley was not known for investing in infrastructure during his time as Newcastle owner, and his perceived lack of ambition became a huge source of frustration for the Magpies fanbase, with protests frequently being held against his ownership.

Ashley has shown that he can rebuild a club, with Newcastle twice winning the Championship title at the first attempt after relegation from the Premier League, which should be encouraging for the Owls, and as the need for repairs at Hillsborough has become so evident, it would be difficult for him to ignore the issue if he was to take over in S6.

Given the negative publicity he often received at St James' Park, Wednesday supporters will likely have some reservations about Ashley, but he would help to get the club back on a solid financial footing, and if he is to see any return on his investment, he would need to provide the funds for the required infrastructure improvements.