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Sheffield Wednesday are the talk of the Championship right now, for all the wrong reasons, but with another prospective new owner emerging, are the fans finally going to get their wish?
Financial issues at Sheffield Wednesday have left players unpaid for last month, and the club now has a three-window transfer ban hanging over their heads.
Dejphon Chansiri has been urged to sell up and get out of the club, but he is proving to be a stubborn negotiator so far.
While Sheffield-born businessman Adam Shaw believes progress is being made, slowly but surely, there are other suitors taking an interest in the Owls.
Sheffield Wednesday fans would take John Textor, but they’d prefer Adam Shaw
In the last 24 hours, it has been claimed that John Textor would be keen to buy Sheffield Wednesday. The American has recently sold his shares in Crystal Palace, and is now free to invest in another English club.
Over on Twitter/X, Sheffield Wednesday fans had their say on Textor and the prospect of him taking over at Hillsborough.
Replying to a poll from the Wednesday ‘Til I Die podcast, it’s clear most fans would be happy for anyone to step in at this point. At the time of writing, 85% of the 2,419 votes were in favour of Textor taking over (equivalent to roughly 2,056 votes).
Among the comments, one fan said, “As long as the new owner pays the bills,” and another added, “I would be happy with anyone who can get us out of this mess.”
Others said, “Anything is better than Dejphon Chansiri,” and “Can it be any worse than right now?”
However, there were plenty of Owls fans meeting the idea with scepticism. One said: “I think we’d take anyone though right now… in truth we have no clue if any of the rumoured consortiums or bidders will be any good or not. They can share plans, we can see what they have done at other clubs previously or what their businesses have done but really we have no clue.”
Others looked at Textor’s “volatile” record with the likes of Lyon and Botafogo, where financial issues and FIFA punishments have occurred, and wrote: “Supposedly he has a poor financial background and has failed to pay Botafogo players on time in the past, so he’s not for me. I’d rather Shaw and the consortium successfully take over, they have a sustainable plan.”
There were doubts over Adam Shaw in the past but it seems fans have now warmed to that idea. One said, “I just want who ever becomes the next owner to have money but more importantly have a solid plan and structure in place. Shaw certainly seems to and has a connection with the fanbase.”
In essence, the fans don’t seem to know what is the best course of action, with one stating: “This Florida group say all the right things but could be useless, Textor has history of investing in palace and investing lots and they’re stable but that may not be us.”
The truth is, no one can see the future and will not be able to know whether Textor, Shaw, or anyone else is the right man for the job of saving Sheffield Wednesday. All they do know is that they want Chansiri’s tenure to come to an end.
- READ MORE: ‘Really scary’ Sheffield Wednesday claim made as Dejphon Chansiri’s ‘mad’ valuation discussed
Comparing John Textor and Adam Shaw
Looking at the financial side of things, it would appear John Textor has a net worth of $3.4 billion (according to Forbes). However, the Walton family, to whom Adam Shaw is thought to be connected to as part of the consortium, has a net worth of around $300 billion.
Obviously, it’s all about how that money is invested that really matters, though. We know Shaw has had bids of up to $75m rejected by Chansiri already, and is keen to keep going, which would suggest there is money to spend as part of that consortium.
It’s hard to say what Textor’s intentions would be as he has not publicly made any comments on his plans for Sheffield Wednesday. On the other hand, Shaw has been very forthcoming about his aims, with suggestions he wants the Owls to be put on the map in America just like Wrexham.
Wednesday fans may well feel more comfortable with Shaw, given he is a fan of the club and would surely have their best interests at heart. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean he is the right man to own and run the club.
Textor, meanwhile, has a track record of success. Crystal Palace just won the FA Cup, Botafogo won the Brazilian league, and Lyon are a top-six French side.