American group in talks to seal Sheffield Wednesday takeover - John Textor involved | OneFootball

There has been a fresh development on the ownership front at Sheffield Wednesday...

In a fresh twist to the ongoing Sheffield Wednesday takeover saga, it has emerged that John Textor is part of an American consortium looking to purchase the crisis club from Dejphon Chansiri.

As reported on Tuesday morning by The Sun's Alan Nixon, via his exclusive Patreon service, Textor is only part of a United States-based group described as "potential bidders" for Wednesday as opposed to leading the takeover himself, with Chansiri himself holding discussions with a prospective Stateside buyer.

Wednesday have endured a disastrous recent chapter under Chansiri, with the club's crisis seemingly worsening by the day ahead of this weekend's season-opener away to Leicester City.

The non-payment of both playing and club staff has been a pressing and recurring issue in recent times, and Owls players decided to cancel their behind-closed-doors pre-season fixture against Burnley over the wekeend after not receiving their wages for July, which marked the fourth time inside just five months that players had not been paid on time.

This situation, of course, has allowed multiple players to walk away from their contracts such as Michael Smith and Josh Windass, while star winger Djeidi Gassama was also sold to Scottish side Rangers in a deal widely believed to fall some way short of the Mauritanian's actual value in the transfer market.

Away from the pitch, Wednesday have also been forced to close Hillsborough's 9,255-capacity North Stand after Sheffield City Council issued a Prohibition Notice, a development which occurred on the very same day as the departure of once-popular boss Danny Rohl, with the German leaving by mutual consent and the Owls not receiving any compensation.

Rohl kept Wednesday in the Championship against all odds during his first season before guiding a respectable 12th-placed finish, but with a threadbare squad and myriad unrelenting issues both on and off the field, there is grave concern regarding the club's fortunes in the upcoming 2025/26 campaign, with Henrik Pedersen now taking charge.

There has, however, been plenty of talk regarding a potential takeover, with Textor's name having continually cropped up as of late. Wednesdayites will now hope that the consortium's efforts progress and that a deal can be struck with Chansiri.

John Textor part of American group trying to complete Sheffield Wednesday, Dejphon Chansiri takeover

As per Nixon's report, Textor is part of an American group looking into a potential takeover of Wednesday, who are reportedly valued at a staggering £100 million by Chansiri.

It's said that Textor, who is the owner of both Botafogo and RWDM Brussels and recently stepped away from his role at Lyon, has the funds to support a takeover after selling his 43% stake in Premier League side Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in a reported £190 million deal back in June, with the sale having been completed in order to resolve the multi-club ownership with UEFA following qualification to the Europa League for both Lyon and the Eagles.

Textor's sale of Palace has left the businessman intending on purchasing another English club, however, and he appears to have his sights set on Wednesday.

According to Nixon, a recent hopeful sale fell through when Chansiri was "convinced" he had sold up, meaning there is "secrecy" around new developments involving a takeover.

But Textor's name is not going away, with eagle-eyed supporters recently noticing that, rather intriguingly, the ex-Palace figure started following Wednesday's official Instagram account.

Nixon's update also states that some players have been informed a takeover is imminent in a bid to either convince them to sign new contracts or not to walk away from their current deals.

Textor was first credited with an interest in purchasing the Owls back in June, with his name having been closely watched by supporters ever since.

Sheffield Wednesday need urgent Dejphon Chansiri resolution amid John Textor development

Wednesday are in dire straits and the current state of play has grown untenable, with an urgent resolution required in order for the club to kick on and avoid enduring further turmoil.

Everybody apart from Chansiri, it would seem, is suffering at the minute. Staff at all levels are not being paid, and the disastrous situation has certainly taken a toll on supporters, who have remained loyal and desperate to see their club taken under fresh ownership.

Whether that's Textor's group or another consortium, it's widely recognised that a takeover needs to happen as swiftly as possible. For that to happen, though, you do feel that Chansiri's unrealistic valuation of the club will need to decrease first - and both those of a Wednesday persuasion and the wider footballing world will be hoping the Thai businessman can set a more reasonable asking price to facilitate a takeover.