Honest reaction given to new Sheffield Wednesday takeover update - "we are not in the position to reject Mike Ashley" | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday Fan Pundit has revealed his thoughts on the former Newcastle United owner taking charge in South Yorkshire

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

FLW have been told it's "not surprising" that ex-Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has been name-dropped as a potential interested party in Sheffield Wednesday.

Football reporter Alan Biggs tweeted that Ashley is among those said to be monitoring the situation, joining other names such as Owls fan and fellow businessman David Richards.

This comes after former Crystal Palace stakeholder John Textor said that there are still "several" interested in buying the South Yorkshire club, as per Biggs' tweet.

Textor has held talks with Dejphon Chansiri about a £70m deal, according to The Daily Mail — but nothing has progressed yet, meaning it is plausible that Ashley could be snooping around.

"Anybody is better than Dejphon Chansiri" for Sheffield Wednesday

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday Fan Pundit, Patrick McKenna, has revealed his thoughts on the matter — which reflects the frustration felt by many within the fan base after years of financial instability.

"The basic facts are that anybody is better than Dejphon Chansiri," McKenna insists.

"We are in a situation where he needs to sell up, because if he continues on, Sheffield Wednesday will not exist as a football club."

Ashley is a familiar name in English football due to spending 14 years owning the Magpies — but he isn't exactly remembered fondly by the Geordies.

He bought the North East club in 2007 for £134m without realising they were in nearly the same amount of debt, so it's possible Ashley could meet Chansiri's original £100m valuation if he really wanted to.

But that's surely very, very unlikely to happen, given that he hardly splashed the cash at Newcastle. It took him until 2019 to break the transfer record by signing Joelinton. The previous record was Michael Owen's £22.5m arrival in 2005.

Even so, McKenna would certainly welcome Ashley at Hillsborough. "If Ashley came, yeah, he would be better than Chansiri. There is absolutely no doubt about that," he told FLW.

"He might not be the dream owner coming in spending loads of money like the Wrexham or Birmingham owners.

"However, business-wise, he is streets ahead of Chansiri," McKenna added.

Mike Ashley might not see Sheffield Wednesday as a "long-term" project

While Newcastle United fans have voiced their reservations about Ashley's past time in charge at St James’ Park, McKenna is clear that any move would improve the dire situation Wednesday find themselves in.

"So, people might say out of the frying pan and into the fire, but I think that would be a bit of an exaggeration. I don’t think we’d be seen as a long-term project for Ashley, and he would look to sell us on," McKenna said.

One instance of the Geordies being outraged by Ashley was him changing the name of St James' Park to include Sports Direct, which is still owned by the billionaire today.

He's probably learned his lesson since then and wouldn't try and rename Hillsborough, but McKenna notes how it's not surprising that a businessman like Ashley is potentially interested in buying the club.

"It’s not really surprising that as the value of Sheffield Wednesday plummets, someone like Ashley may be looking to come in," he claimed.

This is perhaps because Ashley reportedly renewed contact with Derby County's administrators in 2022, just as prospective buyer Chris Kirchner's period of exclusivity was about to expire.

Although nothing came of that in the end, it was thought that Ashley had been frustrated by the delays in the takeover process — implying he would've fancied himself getting a cut-price deal.

"So, yeah, as Sheffield Wednesday fans, we’re certainly not in the position to reject Mike Ashley, and yes, he is a definite improvement on Dejphon Chansiri," McKenna concludes.

Clearly, with Ashley’s name in the mix and Hillsborough still dreaming for positive news, Wednesday supporters like McKenna are left to weigh up the possible balance between business stability and footballing ambition.

Whether Ashley ultimately bids or another party steps forward — just like in Derby’s case — somebody needs to pull the club back from the brink and end Chansiri’s reign fast.