How Chris Waddle feels about the Sheffield Wednesday takeover delay | OneFootball

The Wednesday legend has expressed concerns about the prospects of next season, as the current takeover process continues

Sheffield Wednesday legend Chris Waddle has expressed his concerns about the ongoing takeover at Hillsborough, believing that extensive delays may impact the Owls' ability to bounce back in League One next season.

Wednesday have been in administration for over three months now, after Dejphon Chansiri's decade-long reign as Owls owner finally came to an end following months of late wage payments, assets being let go for next to nothing, and plenty of fan backlash.

It's been just over one month, though, since paperwork was submitted to the EFL regarding a takeover, with the Owls in the process of being taken over by a consortium led by James Bord.

However, given the extensive checks and due diligence that the EFL have to take regarding funding, background checks, and measures that will be put in place by the new Independent Football Regulator, the Sheffield Star understands that this process may run into the Spring.

Sheffield Wednesday are all but relegated from the Championship, with the one hope now being that neighbours Sheffield United aren't the side to mathematically confirm it later this month.

This means that the full focus should be on hitting the ground running this season, but Waddle believes that this won't be the case until new ownership is in place.

Chris Waddle expresses concern over Sheffield Wednesday takeover

In an interview with the Sheffield Star, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder and England international Chris Waddle is nervous about his former club's ability to have a good campaign next season in League One while the takeover process continues further into 2026.

"The frustrating part is that, at the moment, no one has taken over the club," he said. "It's going on and on.

"This season is a write-off, but I thought by now we'd be looking at new owners and the club would be kicking on, getting ready for next season. The longer it runs, the longer planning for next season is put on hold.

"It's a big season, and you have to be ready. We know they're relegated, so they have to bounce straight back. You don't want to be sitting in that league.

"New owners will want to kick straight back and be competing in the Championship, competing for a place in the Premier League. It's all about getting organised, but it's hard to do that when you don't know where you are with who's going to end up with the club.

"It needs sorting out. We know who it could be, but there's no definite."

Chris Waddle outlines what he wants from Sheffield Wednesday's new ownership

Waddle is highly regarded as a Sheffield Wednesday legend and has spoken out against former owner Dejphon Chansiri in the past.

Chansiri's main flaw was how he ran out of interest and funding following back-to-back failures in the Championship play-offs, and thus began the slippery slope from 2017 to the present day, where Wednesday are staring a second relegation to League One in that time direct in the face.

Waddle hopes that the new owners, whether it's James Bord's consortium or otherwise, have a multi-year plan to help Wednesday back into the Championship and then up into the Premier League shortly afterwards.

"I don't want someone to come in like Chansiri," he continued. "Have two great years, and then, all of a sudden, have no money left.

"You want a long-term project where you go back up, and you build up to knocking on the door to the Premier League. There has to be a structure where there's money.

"You see Wrexham, you see Birmingham, they've come in and got promoted, and, yes, they've spent money. You don't want to have a four or five-year run and find you've got no money left, a club that size needs a structure where in 30 years you're building along nicely."

Waddle, a well-respected figure at Hillsborough, echoes every Wednesdayite with his demands there. The Owls are a club that has been through incredibly tough times over recent years, and they're a club that deserves to be challenging near the top of the Championship.

The next few months will once again be filled with anticipation off the field, as Sheffield Wednesday waits to see whether the takeover can go through. If it does, they'll have expectations of having the ambition that the likes of Wrexham and Birmingham have, currently.