Ex-Sunderland figure plotting fresh Sheffield Wednesday takeover bid | OneFootball

Charlie Methven is looking to acquire the Owls following the withdrawal of James Bord's takeover bid

Sheffield Wednesday's joint-administrators, Begbies Traynor, are on the lookout for a second preferred bidder at Hillsborough after the consortium led by James Bord withdrew from the takeover process last week.

The Owls have been in administration since late October, having seen Dejphon Chansiri's extremely dramatic and chaotic 10-year period in the boardroom reach its conclusion, and it was hoped that a resolution in terms of fresh investment would be found sooner rather than later.

Given the stature of the Championship's crisis club, it wasn't the greatest of surprises to see several high-profile names linked with a takeover in S6, although it appeared as though Bord would be the man who would go on to become Wednesday's latest custodian after he was granted preferred bidder status on Christmas Eve.

However, weeks after it emerged that the English Football League had developed initial concerns over the sourcing of his funds that would be plugged into the Owls' coffers - due to Bord's links in the gambling and crypto-gambling sectors - it was confirmed that his consortium and the joint-administrators had hit a major impasse which saw their £47.8m takeover bid put off the table.

In a subsequent statement outlining developments, Begbies Traynor confirmed that this wouldn't mean the takeover process would go entirely back to square one, and that has seen the likes of the Storch family, ex-Newcastle United chairman Mike Ashley and local businessman, Ryan Howsam, continue to be linked with a takeover respectively.

However, in a fresh round of developments in the first week of March, it has emerged that the aforementioned trio could face further competition.

Ex-Sunderland chief Charlie Methven plots Sheffield Wednesday takeover move amid timescale issue

Shortly after the revelations of the Bord-led bid collapsing, it had been reported by Alan Nixon that the administrators were hoping to see fresh bids put on the table by the end of this week.

Ashley, who had seen a £20m bid turned down on November 26th, has reportedly been attempting a deal with the EFL that would remove a 15-point deduction at the beginning of the 2026/27 League One season, and that the funding could be worth £100m, whilst David Storch recently expressed his confidence in plotting a successful bid this time around.

Yet, in a new turn of events, it has been reported by the Sheffield Star that ex-Sunderland co-owner and Charlton Athletic CEO, Charlie Methven, is fronting up a potential ownership group to compete with the aforementioned names.

However, it has been suggested that time may not be on his side, largely due to the fact that, unlike Ashley and Storch, Methven and his consortium were not involved in the latter stages of the initial process, which led to Bord being named as the preferred bidder over two months ago.

As such, it has been reported that an ample level of due dilligence on the consortium may not take place due to fresh information which would need to be assessed.

After leaving his position with Charlton in March 2025, Methven acquired a stake in RAEC Mons, who currently compete in the third-tier Belgian Division 1, and are currently managed by ex-Middlesbrough and Hull City midfielder, George Boateng.

Charlie Methven has previously been spotted at Hillsborough this season

If previous reactions are anything to go by, then Wednesdayites will certainly have a split opinion as to whether Methven would be the right man to take the club forward.

His sighting in the Hillsborough crowd for Wednesday's 1-1 draw vs Norwich City on November 5th was met with extremely mixed verdicts, including that of Sunderland fans urging that the Steel City side steer clear of his ownership.

The 49-year-old lasted just over one year on the Black Cats board during their introduction to a lengthy spell in League One, during which he gained notoriety for his actions in the Netflix docuseries, Sunderland 'Til I Die.