Sheffield Wednesday open takeover talks with Textor with club uncertain if American will pay £100m asking price.
John Textor poised for Sheffield Wednesday takeover talks with owner.
John Textor is ready to discuss a possible takeover of the struggling Championship team after expressing interest in Sheffield Wednesday to its owner, Dejphon Chansiri.
After arriving to the UK, the American billionaire is rumoured to have contacted Chansiri’s representatives in recent days and wants to set up a meeting with him for next week. Although it is unclear if Textor would be willing to make such an offer, the asking price for Wednesday is estimated to be around £100 million.
Chansiri has met with a number of possible purchasers this summer and stated in June that he had turned down £40 million from an unidentified American company that has nothing to do with Textor.
Last month, Textor sold Woody Johnson his 44.9% share in Crystal Palace, and he is eager to reinvest as soon as possible in an English team. According to reports, he sees Wednesday’s failure to pay employees and players on time in March, May, and June as a chance to revitalise a historic club, much as the problem he faced at Botafogo in 2022.
After winning the Brazilian championship in 2024, Botafogo, who were sagging in the second division, were crowned South American champions last year. According to reports, Textor spoke with football financier Keith Harris about Wednesday but chose not to enlist the help of the former investment banker, who has facilitated takeovers at Aston Villa, Manchester City and West Ham.
In protest of Chansiri, who replaced Milan Mandaric in 2015, many Wednesday fans skipped Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup home match against Leeds. This month, the EFL expressed their serious concerns regarding the club’s financial status. Wednesday started the season with just 15 first-team players after a transfer ban was removed, though the league still has to approve any additions. This was due to the departure of manager Danny Röhl and several important players this summer.
Hillsborough too has problems. In July, the local government declared the North Stand unsafe for fans to watch. Days before the team’s first home game of the season against Stoke, the ban was lifted.