After a challenging period, a new era is ready to begin at Sheffield Wednesday as Arise Capital Partners approaches a purchase of the club.

Wednesday have had a disastrous season, having been relegated from the Championship in February and on track to end with zero points, while the club is still in administration more than six months after former owner Dejphon Chansiri left.

While the Owls fans celebrated Chansiri’s departure, the takeover process has been lengthy and tumultuous, with initial favorite bidder James Bord leaving from the contest to buy the club in February.

However, this allowed Arise — a consortium managed by David Storch — to be granted preferred bidder status, and after the American billionaire set a deadline of May 1st to complete his takeover of the club, it appears he is on track to accomplish it.

Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen said on Friday afternoon that he was confident the takeover will be completed before the Championship season’s final game against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

With an impending announcement, Storch is anticipated to visit Hillsborough this weekend, along with his son Michael and fellow consortium member Tom Costin, and the sell-out throng will be expecting to mark the beginning of a new era.

Gabriel Agbonlahor reacts as David Storch closes in on the Sheffield Wednesday takeover

Wednesday’s issue has received a lot of media attention over the last year, with a number of former players, managers, and analysts expressing compassion for the club and urging for a solution to be found.

Of course, the turbulence at Hillsborough will have been especially painful to watch for individuals with ties to the club, such as ex-Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor, who made seven appearances for the Owls on loan in 2005.

Agbonlahor spoke live on talkSPORT about a potential takeover breakthrough and expressed optimism for his old club’s future.I was there on loan as a 19-year-old, and Sheffield Wednesday’s support base… I feel sad for them [for what they’ve been through]. “Hopefully, there are better times ahead,” Agbonlahor stated.

Sheffield Wednesday supporters will share Gabriel Agbonlahor’s hope when the David Storch era begins.

It has been an extremely difficult time for everyone involved with Wednesday, but there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

While Storch will eventually be evaluated on results, he has made a good first impression on the Owls fan base with his open and honest social media communication, and his intention to bring back the popular old badge has also been well accepted.

Storch also appears to be planning to implement a proper management structure at the club, with departing Sunderland chief business officer David Bruce being touted as a potential new CEO, as well as a move for Portsmouth’s Richard Hughes as sporting director, according to FLW exclusively on Friday.

Wednesday are anticipated to lose 15 points in the League since Arise’s proposal does not comply with the EFL’s guideline that creditors must be paid 25p in the pound. One next season, but, while there may be more short-term misery ahead, there is cause to be optimistic about the future under Storch.