'They convinced me' - Sheffield Wednesday fan who met Storch Family reveals exciting takeover view | OneFootball

David Storch is set to be the next owner of Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday have moved one step closer to escaping administration following confirmation that the offer by David Storch has been chosen as the preferred bid.

The American is leading a group alongside Tom Costin that is seeking a takeover of the Owls after they went into administration in October.

A consortium led by James Bord was originally named as the preferred bid by Begbies Traynor, who have overseen the takeover talks.

However, their offer collapsed in February, which reopened the negotiations for the Championship side.

Dejphon Chansiri oversaw significant financial mismanagement during his time in charge at Hillsborough, particularly in his final 12 months as owner.

Henrik Pedersen’s side have already suffered relegation to League One, with 18 points worth of deduction penalties accelerating their decline to the third tier of English football.

David Storch’s meeting with Sheffield Wednesday supporters

It has been reported by journalist Dom Howson that Storch has already discussed his plans for the club with Pedersen, as he is confident that the takeover proposal will go through.

The prospective new owners have also met with the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust (SWST) to go through their vision for the Owls.

One of the representatives for the SWST, Steve Chu, has opened up on the talks, which lasted over two hours on Tuesday.

He revealed that he is confident that David and his son Michael, along with Costin, have the best interests of the club in mind in regards to their plans for Sheffield Wednesday.

“I was one of the @SWFCTrust reps who were privileged to meet David and Michael Storch and Tom Costin yesterday,” wrote Chu, via X.

“They gave us over two hours of their time, asked for our views, and listened to us.

“They convinced me that they will care about our club and our community, they are in this for the long-term, and will address the key challenges facing SWFC.

“Owners are ultimately judged on actions not words but I am in no doubt that, at this moment in time, they are the right owners for our club

“I’ve spent time in a work capacity with several Wednesday owners and directors.

“There are no perfect owners.

“All come with a balance of risk and reward. Man U won the UCL with owners some of their fans couldn’t support.

“The same with Newcastle and the FA Cup last season

“What I will say for the Storches and Tom is that, as human beings, I liked them, I believe in them and I want them to succeed for us.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s off-field issues have impacted their poor on-pitch performances this season, with the team on minus six points at the bottom of the Championship table.

The Owls have been docked 18 points, but have also only won one of their 37 games so far this term.

A 1-1 draw with Watford on Tuesday night ended their losing run, but the club are still guaranteed to finish in 24th place.

Pedersen’s side will be looking to end the campaign on a high note, and potentially add a second win of the campaign, with their sole win coming against Portsmouth in September.

Meanwhile, the Storch bid will be seeking ratification from the EFL as quickly as possible so that they can begin planning for life in League One next season.

Next up for the Yorkshire outfit is a home clash against promotion-chasing Ipswich Town on 14 March in a 3pm kick-off.

Transparency will be key to making a good first impression at Sheffield Wednesday

The new prospective Sheffield Wednesday owners will need to be transparent with supporters regarding their plans for the club if they’re to make a strong first impression.

They will have some credit in the bank just by virtue of saving the team from possible liquidation, but that won’t last if the team isn’t going in a positive direction.

The Owls will need a lot of investment in both the first team squad and the infrastructure in order to get back to a competitive level again in the near future.

These conversations with the SWST are a positive start, although it remains to be seen what Pedersen’s future at Hillsborough looks like under this new ownership structure.