The sale of Sheffield Wednesday has already undergone several twists and turns, and it appears that more will follow before the transaction is completed.

Sheffield Wednesday has already been in administration for nearly two months, and new indications indicate that there may be further delays before the club is sold.

The bidding war for Wednesday was reported to have settled on one of three groups, but there has been some confusion about the status of these bids, and with the administrators themselves subject to confidentiality agreements, there hasn’t been much that they’ve been able to say to club fans about the ongoing discussions about getting the club out of administration and back on its feet.

And now, new information sheds some insight on why this is the case, as well as suggesting that there may be more shocks as the club’s sale approaches.

Sheffield Wednesday sale may take longer than planned.

The Sheffield Star has reported on the current state of the bidding to buy Sheffield Wednesday, and they state that the position regarding the sale of the club is becoming increasingly convoluted. It had recently been reported that there were three main contenders in the race to purchase the Owls, namely former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, a merged US consortium centred on bids from John McEvoy and the Storch family, and also a bid led by former poker

But they report that this has changed in the last few days, saying that, ‘Over the course of the last few days it has been suggested that neither Bord nor McEvoy are now involved, and while – as reported by Radio Sheffield – the Storch family have made an official bid, The Star understands that they have found a new, as yet unnamed, partner in their attempts to purchase the club.’

The administrators had previously indicated that Sheffield Wednesday could be reasonably confident of avoiding a 15-point deduction for the start of the 2026-27 season under EFL rules regarding making a minimum 25p in the pound offer to unsecured creditors; however, “some potential buyers would be willing to accept a 15-point deduction and instead invest the money saved into the club and squad, rather than ‘overpaying’ during what remains a distressed sal

The good news for Wednesday fans is that a cheaper price may drive off other possible purchasers. According to the Star, doing so “would open the floor to other potential buyers – including some that have previously dropped out of the running.”

Wednesday’s fans will be anxious about the possibility of a 15-point deduction for next season.

Sheffield Wednesday’s main concern with the new reports on the sale of their club will be the threat of a 15-point deduction for next season if bids to buy the club out of administration do not meet the threshold of paying unsecured creditors 25p in the pound.

Wednesday fans have been expecting for a completely clean slate following administration, and the administrators themselves have already stated that that goal should be easily met. Failure to do so would trigger EFL exiting administration restrictions, limiting the club to League One next season, as is envisaged.

The EFL is unlikely to be impressed by buyers who seek to evade procedures designed to protect creditors in the event that a club finds itself in this situation.

However, it has become increasingly evident in recent weeks that the buyout process is proving more difficult than initially anticipated, and it now appears unlikely that it will be completed by the start of the January transfer window.

With manager Henrik Pedersen desperately in need of more reinforcement for his threadbare first-team squad, it now appears that Sheffield Wednesday will at the very least remain under extremely tight restrictions for that month, and that the club may yet begin next season with a 15-point handicap.