Journalist drops two-word Sheffield Wednesday takeover update | OneFootball

A takeover of Sheffield Wednesday doesn't seem any likelier to go ahead following a two-word reply from a journalist from a fan seeking answers.

A takeover of troubled Championship club Sheffield Wednesday doesn't seem likely to conclude soon.

There's no question that Sheffield Wednesday need something to change very drastically, and very quickly. The club have failed to pay their wages on time for the last two successive months, and this has already led to the departure of two players, Josh Windass and Michael Smith, while it's also believed that a third, Max Lowe, has now also handed in his notice.

The non-payment of wages for the end of July has pushed the Wednesday players into action. They were due to be playing a behind-closed-doors friendly against Burnley, but this had to be cancelled after the players refused to travel.

And the issues don't end there, either. The transfer embargo put in place over last season's financial issues drastically limits the players that can be brought into the club, while the closure of the North Stand at Hillsborough has shone a light on how little has been put into the club's infrastructure in recent years.

"Nothing close" - Sheffield Wednesday takeover update

Journalist Alan Nixon has been asked about the current state of play regarding a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday, and his answer will have done little to quell the nerves of jittery supporters ahead of the new season. Asked on X whether there was any news concerning a takeover of the club he replied simply: "Nothing close".

Takeover talk regarding Sheffield Wednesday has been somewhat thin on the ground over the last couple of weeks or so. Two bids from an American-based consortium - later confirmed by The Athletic as having been for £48 million and £55 million - were reportedly turned down earlier this year, with a club statement describing the first of these offers as "derisory", while talk connecting the American billionaire Tilman Fertitta to the club also came to nothing.

Speaking to Sky Sports News at the weekend, the chair of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust, Ian Bennett, summed up the fears of all Wednesday fans: "The problems are never-ending. You think the next day can't be any worse and it is. We don't even know if we're going to play the first game." The transformation since the end of last season, when the club finished in 12th place in the Championship, could hardly be more stark.

Sheffield Wednesday are now desperately in need of a takeover

As 2025 has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that new ownership is an imperative for Sheffield Wednesday. The club is labouring under a conflation of issues that are now rapidly escalating to a point at which they're threatening the club's very existence.

Wednesday currently only have 16 senior players, and this number includes Lowe, who is reported to have given in his notice over the ongoing issue of unpaid wages. The front-loaded sale of Caelen-Kole Cadamarteri to Manchester City in July was supposed to relieve some of the financial pressure on the club, but the non-payment of wages at the end of the month confirmed that this hasn't happened.

Head coach Danny Rohl has left - with Chansiri's intransigence over his release clause fee reportedly costing them close to £1 million - while the club still reportedly owe a substantial sum to other clubs for outstanding loan and transfer fees. And as if all that isn't enough, the decay of the club is now being mirrored at Hillsborough itself, where years of a lack of investment have caught up with them with the news that the North Stand has been ordered to be closed because of "extensive corrosion" in its roof, rendering it unsafe.

It's not uncommon for things to get worse before they get better, but even the good news for Sheffield Wednesday fans comes with asterisks attached. Barry Bannan has been persuaded to sign a new contract with the club, but the question of how they will pay him remains unanswered, while all takeover talk has to be considered in light of reports that Chansiri wants more for the club than anyone with any common sense will be prepared to pay for it.

Until there is an outbreak of common sense on the owner's part, a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday doesn't seem any more likely than it has all summer. With the wolves at the door and a new season about to begin, this is a position that Sheffield Wednesday quite literally cannot afford to be in.