Sky pundit releases new Sheffield Wednesday takeover update: things might move ‘fast’ with’serious bidders’.

Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett provided an optimistic update on Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover.

The Owls were, of course, forced into administration last Friday, resulting in an immediate 12-point deduction from the EFL, leaving the South Yorkshire club with minus six points at the bottom of the Championship.

Along with that, the Hillsborough stadium itself, which Chansiri did have control over, was handed over to the administrators, eliminating the need for a potential buyer to negotiate a separate deal to purchase the stadium alongside the football club, making the takeover transaction much easier.

While obviously not ideal for on-field matters, this move marked the end of Dejphon Chansiri’s contentious 10-year ownership, during which he was, among other things, financially liable for six consecutive breaches of EFL regulations.

However, it appears that everyone involved with the club will not have to wait long to find out who will be in charge of moving them ahead following the Thai businessman.

“Hope if not expectation”: Sheffield Wednesday could have new owners. “quickly”

Dorsett, speaking on Sky Sports News, expressed optimism about the situation at Hillsborough, noting that both the EFL and administrators Begbies Traynor are hopeful that a deal can be struck in a reasonably short period of time.

“According to the people I’ve spoken with over the last 24 hours, there is hope – if not expectation – that this will move fast from both the EFL and the administrators who are now in charge of Sheffield Wednesday.

“And that Sheffield Wednesday could have new owners in place within a pretty quick timeframe compared with other administrations of the past,” he elaborated.

Given that Derby County, the previous EFL team to go into administration, were ‘one week away’ from going bankrupt before being salvaged, these statements must be reassuring for Wednesday fans.

Dorsett also claimed that administrators have already received a flood of inquiries from prospective bidders, with a large number appearing trustworthy.

“We’ve been told that the administrators have already been contacted by a large number of interested parties, with four or five of them potentially serious bidders.

“So, the administrators will focus on those over the next few days and on getting the operations running smoothly so they can maximise the amount of money coming into the club.”

Several serious bidders appear for Sheffield Wednesday.

Kris Wigfield, joint administrator and Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holder since 1984, has already acknowledged that the club has received significant interest from potential new owners.

Speaking on BBC Five Live’s Wake Up to Money programme, Wigfield said that “four or five” of the countless inquiries received appear to be legitimate competitors who could match the essential criteria.

It’s worth noting that Wednesday must be on the market for at least 28 days per EFL regulation.

However, Dorsett hinted that the EFL might be willing to let Sheffield Wednesday get around that rule: “I think one of the first points we need to make is that the EFL normally says to administrators, ‘look, don’t sell the club quickly, we have guidelines that say don’t sell the club within the first 28 days,'” the Sky Sports reporter continued.

“That’s to try to avoid companies lining up to acquire a football club when it’s in trouble; obtaining it for cheap, if you will, which the EFL does not want to encourage.

“But I’ve heard that the EFL is willing to bend the rules a little bit. They’re not hard and fast regulations, and they and the administrators recognize the value in a quick modification here.”

However, like Dorsett, Wigfield expressed confidence that a preferred bidder may be selected by the end of November, with the purchase possibly completed before the end of the calendar year.

It’s also fair to say that this optimism, combined with the end of Chansiri’s tenure, is causing fans who had been boycotting matches to return to Hillsborough in large numbers and spend money at the club.

Last Saturday’s game against Oxford United saw the Owls’ largest attendance of the season, with 27,261 fans in attendance at Hillsborough, despite a reported attendance of 21,578 against Middlesbrough just days before.

So, with Dorsett all but confirming that this administration process might be completed faster than past cases, you’d expect a preferred bidder to be in place by the end of the 28-day period.