Who potential Sheffield Wednesday owner Mike Ashley actually supports after Chelsea & Spurs claims | OneFootball

There's been much speculation over who ex-Newcastle United owner Ashley is a follower of in the footballing world

With Sheffield Wednesday still in administration over four months after maligned owner Dejphon Chansiri relinquished control after nearly 11 years at Hillsborough, there is a new battle for control at the stricken South Yorkshire club.

And just like the last time around before James Bord was named preferred bidder on Christmas Eve 2025, Mike Ashley is also in the fold as an interested party.

The 61-year-old was in the mix the first time Wednesday were up for grabs, but his offer was not chosen ahead of Bord's.

With Bord's takeover bid - which was worth a mammoth £47.8 million - being withdrawn though, it has left a gap open for another party to return to the mix, and Ashley, along with American businessman David Storch, are both keen once again on making a difference at Hillsborough.

Ashley has been out of football since October 2021, which is when he sold Newcastle United to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the Reuben Brothers for £305 million after 14 years owning the Magpies, but he reportedly attempted to rescue Derby County from administration during the 2021-22 season, whilst he explored a possibility of buying Reading FC in 2023 after Dai Yongge's mismanagement.

Which football club Mike Ashley actually supports - Spurs and Chelsea have been rumoured

The question is though - what club does Ashley actually support and follow amid his attempts to buy numerous teams following his exit from Newcastle?

Many would have thought that Ashley was a diehard Magpies fan, given he marauded around St. James' Park in his black and white club shirt on multiple occasions, but that is not quite the case whatsoever.

As revealed in a big Ashley-focused article by The Athletic, it was told that whilst there was a common misconception that Ashley was a Tottenham fan, the Walsall-born businessman - who grew up near the Berkshire town of Slough - actually grew up as a supporter of Spurs' London rivals Chelsea.

That is said to be because of partly the location factor, with Stamford Bridge being just 25 miles away from Ashley's childhood home, but the legendary Blues striker Peter Osgood was also a big reason for his supporting of the west London outfit.

Ashley would only have been a young child when Osgood was at his peak for Chelsea, but he clearly had a big impact, and it is a big reason why he followed them - although he did reveal a more passionate affiliation with the England national team, travelling to every major tournament since the FIFA World Cup in Spain in 1982.

Mike Ashley evidently wants to get back into football for the right price amid Sheffield Wednesday bid

Ashley was a bit of a character in the early days of his Newcastle ownership in 2007 - he was a very public figure and he made some controversial decisions at St. James' Park to boot.

But for all many Newcastle fans thought of Ashley, he left the club in seemingly a healthy place with the sale nearly five years ago, yet despite links to many clubs, he's not yet returned to the ownership game.

And with his bid for Sheffield Wednesday being reportedly only worth £10 million, and much less than the Storch offer, the administrators will have a difficult decision to make, knowing he's offering less up front, but knowing he has the proven capital to make a difference immediately at Hillsborough.

With Ashley being a divisive figure, not everyone will be happy if he takes over Wednesday, but his business acumen and net worth, which is estimated to be $5.6 billion (£4.16 billion), as per Forbes, can't be ignored or denied.