What Neil Lennon said about James Bord as Sheffield Wednesday takeover twist happens

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·8 Maret 2026

What Neil Lennon said about James Bord as Sheffield Wednesday takeover twist happens

Neil Lennon's insight on working with James Bord will be frustrating to hear for Sheffield Wednesday's supporters after takeover bid falls through.

Sheffield Wednesday continue to be in limbo over of a potential takeover, with front-runner James Bord's potential agreement falling through recently.

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The Owls have been in administration since October 2025, after Dejphon Chansiri's time in charge reached a much-needed conclusion, after many off-field problems, which ultimately resulted in the club's relegation from the Championship this season.

Bord was a former poker player, and was named as the preferred bidder to take charge of Sheffield Wednesday back in December 2025, and it was hoped that a deal could be finalised in early 2026 alongside Felix Romer and Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil, who were also part of the consortium.

However, a deal fell through, and Bord's consortium wasted no time in addressing the Sheffield Wednesday supporters, whilst also revealing how much they invested in the club in the time they were in talks with them over finalising the takeover.

"To all the long-suffering fans of this great club, it is with the greatest regret that we have decided not to pursue our bid to become your new custodians. "The historic mishandling of the club and pattern of catastrophic underinvestment means our sizeable binding bid can no longer be justified. "We have spent over £4m to help run the club over the last two months and, after much consideration, have decided that we can no longer continue to do so. "We know this will be a bitter disappointment to many – who hoped the ownership saga would soon be over – and for this we can only apologise wholeheartedly."

It wouldn't have been the first club based in the UK that Bord has taken over, as he is currently owner of Scottish side, Dunfermline Athletic, who are managed by former Bolton and Celtic boss, Neil Lennon.

Neil Lennon reveals insight into working with James Bord

Lennon has previously revealed that he likes working with Bord, and labelled him as a "really positive, generous owner who loves the club".

"He's pleased with the progress we're making," said Lennon previously, via the Dunfermline Press.

"He knows that we're a work in progress and it's a transitional period. He's only been in the club a year, but you can see there has been significant improvement.

"He does want to help improve the squad. We're going to look at all aspects of that through January. I've got a great owner. That's half the battle when you're a manager.

"I've got a really positive, generous owner who loves the club. He's a forward thinker and I like working with him. As a manager, as a coach, they're hard to find."

James Bord could have been exactly what Sheffield Wednesday needed

Hearing Lennon speak so highly of Bord makes it even more frustrating that the proposed takeover of Sheffield Wednesday has fallen through.

The Hillsborough faithful haven't had much to cheer about in recent years, particularly this season under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, whose actions have caused a whole host of problems for the Championship side.

Sheffield Wednesday were deducted 18 points in total this season due to regulation breaches whilst under the ownership of Chansiri, who was subsequently hit with a three-year ban from owning or being a director at any EFL club.

Stability is what is needed at the club right now, and given Lennon's previous comments on Bord, it seemed as though he would have been the ideal fit for the Owls, as they look to look towards a brighter future. Of course there were doubts, but Lennon spoke from a position under Bord that nobody else has experienced.

However, with that proposed takeover falling through, it remains to be seen as to which new front-runner will emerge to takeover Sheffield Wednesday. There will be calls for patience, but you can't blame the club's supporters for getting slightly impatient, as there seemingly hasn't been much progress made since the club went into administration in October 2025.

The Owls will be looking to win promotion back into the Championship at the first time of asking next season, although their promotion ambitions could depend on the summer transfer window, and how much stability they have off-the-field, as they'll want new owners in place at the earliest of opportunities.