Sheffield Wednesday takeover news: Mike Ashley update, John Textor/Chansiri talks, IFR verdict | OneFootball

FLW rounds up the latest news surrounding a potential takeover at Sheffield Wednesday

Talk of a potential takeover at Sheffield Wednesday continues to rumble on well into the autumn, with supporters at Hillsborough still hoping to oust Dejphon Chansiri from the boardroom.

There has been a distinct lack of positive updates coming out of the Owls in recent weeks and months, with Chansiri continuing to be the subject of mass protests and boycotts, as seen in last weekend's 5-0 defeat against league leaders Coventry City in S6.

Such off-field actions has led Henrik Pedersen with a major lack of depth and resources to work with when it comes to his playing squad, who currently find themselves 23rd in the Championship table at the time of the current international break, having picked up one win and three draws from their opening nine encounters.

At present, the only thing for supporters to smile about has been the emergence of bright prospects due to transfer and registration-themed sanctions, as well as the fact Wednesday are still above their cross-city rivals, Sheffield United, in the second tier standings despite the looming threat of a points deduction and administration amid further delayed wage payments.

With plenty of takeover-related flashpoints continuing to dominate headlines in this part of South Yorkshire, Football League World has rounded up the biggest of those.

Mike Ashley emerges as potential Sheffield Wednesday buyer from Dejphon Chansiri

It emerged on Wednesday afternoon that ex-Newcastle United chairman, Mike Ashley, is one of the potential parties interested in acquiring control of the cash-strapped club.

Amid claims that Chansiri could lower his valuation of Wednesday from £100m to £70m as talks with ex-Crystal Palace and Lyon stakeholder, John Textor, have stalled, local reporter Alan Biggs revealed such developments involving Ashley and another potential bidder in the form of Wednesdayite, David Richards.

The 61-year-old was owner at St James' Park between May 2007 and October 2021 before the Magpies were taken over for £300m by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund after many years of stagnation, before recently relinquishing the control he had on Coventry City's CBS Arena between November 2022 and August 2025, with the stadium being purchased for almost £40m by Sky Blues owner, Doug King.

John Textor issues honest Dejphon Chansiri verdict amid takeover talk reports

As previously mentioned, it was reported by the Daily Mail last week that talks between Chansiri and Textor had stalled, before Alan Nixon claimed that the Thai-based businessman wouldn't entertain offers as he looks for investment in order to pay off outstanding loans and the remainder of the club's annual wage bill.

The American has been heavily linked with a takeover for some time after his own controversies at Selhurst Park and the Groupama Stadium which saw last season's FA Cup winners demoted into the UEFA Conference League due to a breach of UEFA's multi-club ownership regulations.

With Owls supporters desperate for any party to take over from Chansiri, Textor has provided his verdict on how the negotiation process has gone thus far when speaking to Alan Myers, whilst also admitting he and his entourage are looking at other options.

“It’s really complicated,” Textor said. “Wednesday are one of the clubs we are looking at.

“It’s not like I wouldn’t love to come in tomorrow, but they’re in a very difficult situation.

“There’s a lot to figure out with the owner. There is a lot to figure out with the league itself," he claimed.

“There’s not a lot of time to figure it out. It seems like half to two-thirds of that squad is under the age of 21. By the time we can even get in and address things, if we were to reach a deal with the club, I hope it’s not too late.”

Independent Football Regulator chair issues Sheffield Wednesday verdict amid Chansiri controversy

One route which could see Chansiri lose power at Hillsborough is through the newly-formed Independent Football Regulator, which could have the ability to remove the chairman from his post.

After being passed through the Government's 'Football Governance Act' in September, David Kogan has now been elected chair of the regulator, and it has been revealed that he has held conversations with four Wednesday-linked supporter groups.

Due to Chansiri's actions leading to mass uncertainty, Kogan has stated what the process of removing Chansiri could look like, as he admitted that the action of forcing an owner to sell the club through the IFR would be treated as course of action down the line if they were unwilling to co-operate.

"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," Kogan stated in an interview with BBC Sport.

"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the great brands for English football and this week we have met Sheffield Wednesday supporters' groups.

"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have Sheffield Wednesday - and other clubs - referred to us if they need to be investigated and acted upon," he explained.

"The job is there for the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Bury or any football club where people are committed to a local institution that has existed throughout their lifetimes in many cases.

"The last thing what we want to do is start getting involved with an individual club, an individual owner, without being able to work with that owner to try and resolve the issues that the club's facing and the owner's facing," Kogan added.