Sheffield Wednesday takeover news: New timeline, Mike Ashley bid, 15-point deduction | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at the latest news from the last few days regarding Sheffield Wednesday's takeover.

Sheffield Wednesday have lost 13 straight games in the Championship, and they are slowly closing in on the record for most consecutive league losses in the history of the EFL. However, their main focus remains on finding a new owner.

The Owls were beaten 2-1 by Derby County on Saturday afternoon, and they remain on -7 points after 36 games, with their most recent point coming against Blackburn Rovers in a 0-0 draw at the end of December. Yet, supporters remain unconcerned by the situation on the pitch.

Instead, this week is a major one for those at Hillsborough away from the on-field action, and there are hopes that fans may just find out a key piece of information as the hunt for a takeover continues in S6.

Football League World has taken a look at the latest news regarding a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday, following a very busy weekend.

Sheffield Wednesday may announce a new preferred bidder soon

Following a consortium led by James Bord's failure to get a deal over the line last month, there has been significant fresh interest in the club, and there has been a desire from supporters to find out who the preferred bidder will be. However, up to now, there has been no fresh information on that situation.

Nevertheless, The Star has reported that there is a great amount of hope at the club right now that exclusivity will be given to one of the interested parties by the end of the week, allowing further negotiations to take place in the coming weeks and months.

While that information is potentially exciting for fans, there is no guarantee that the preferred bidder will be named, after the bids were tabled for the club over the weekend.

The administrators must prove that they have the money to fund Sheffield Wednesday past the end of the season if no buyer is found, otherwise they face the possibility of being expelled from the EFL.

Mike Ashley's bid is much lower than other interested parties

It has been well documented over the course of the last few months that Mike Ashley has been keen on purchasing the Owls and rescuing them from administration, but it emerged on Sunday that the former Newcastle United owner is bidding significantly less than his rivals.

This is a ploy that the English businessman has tried in the past, as he failed to purchase Derby County in 2022 while the Rams were also in administration. However, it was David Clowes who took control of the club, and he has helped the East Midlands outfit rebuild incredibly well.

Nonetheless, Alan Nixon's report over the weekend also stated that Ashley is hoping that he can out-negotiate his rivals, and with the rebuild so great, he will need the cash to help fund that if he is successful in his bid to purchase the Owls.

Yet, he may be overlooked once again as Sheffield Wednesday look to find a new owner as soon as possible as they prepare for life in League One once again.

Sheffield Wednesday look on course to be handed a new points deduction in 2026/27

If the Owls are to avoid a 15-point deduction next season, then the next owner would have to purchase the club at the 25p to £1 rate. Yet, if they do not match that, they will avoid paying a chunk of extra cash to Dejphon Chansiri and other non-footballing creditors.

With all bids now in, it has been reported by Nixon that if the new owner of Sheffield Wednesday has tabled their offer in the latest round of the bidding war, then the club will start the 2025/26 campaign on -15 points.

This would make their challenge to not only push for a top six finish in League One near-impossible, but also make the main objective to simply stay put in the division and rebuild from there.

A deposit to help fund the club in the meantime seems to be the key to any successful bid, with the administrators in dire need of quick cash as they look to continue the running of Sheffield Wednesday as a new owner is sought, but the situation on the pitch may be extremely challenging after this update.