Sheffield United’s owners, Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, are currently in the focus of a league war after purchasing the South Yorkshire club in December 2024.

The Blades failed to gain promotion during their debut season at the club, finishing third and losing in the play-off final to Sunderland. This year, they appear unlikely to finish anything other than mid-table.

It’s not all bad news, though; Steve Rosen has rehired Chris Wilder this season. That came after a catastrophic start to the season under Ruben Selles, with things looking much better since Wilder returned to his boyhood club for a third spell in charge.

Away from the pitch, things haven’t been as good. In fact, it was reported in November that COH Sports may be looking to sell Sheffield United already. Now, they are being sued in Delaware by a businessman who claims to have organized the club’s £100 million takeover in 2024.

Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy engage a legal war at Sheffield United.

The Telegraph has covered the story. According to reports, the plot is “fitting of a big-budget television drama” and that a major member was left out of the final arrangement to acquire the club for £100 million.

The tale revolves around power battles, director resignations, and Tom Page. He is the English-born investor and entrepreneur who is upset over not being included in the buyout. Now headquartered in California, Page claims he orchestrated the takeover before being fired.

It implies Rosen and Eltoukhy are being sued for “fraud” in connection with the club’s initial purchase agreement. It has been revealed that documents filed in Delaware Chancery Court outline how the football club was purchased.

So far, COH Sports has stated that the claim is “entirely without merit” and that they hope to have it dismissed. According to reports, Page has been considering investing in English football clubs since 2021.

His main concentration was on smaller clubs who were struggling financially. According to the papers, Page met Rosen shortly after and referred him to Eltoukhy, a scientist and healthcare businessman, in 2023. Soon after, Sheffield United became their objective.

That’s because they possessed a “untapped women’s team” with potential, as well as a hotel next to Bramall Lane that wasn’t in operation at the time. Page was the one to contact Rosen and Eltoukhy about the possibilities. It is believed that there was a schism between Page and Rosen near the start of the 2024/25 season.

At that point, the takeover was not yet complete. According to the papers, Rosen objected to Page’s forthright bargaining style. Then, on September 21, “Rosen yelled and condescended to Page, claiming Page needed to go on an apology tour to address various imagined infractions”.

That exchange was described as heated and “ended without resolution”. According to the papers, Page emailed Rosen and stated, “This football thing is that hard and you’ve disrespected my work [in] a massive way.”You have the option of leaving this project or talking to the others about me, apologizing [sic] to me, and trusting me that I can bring us over the line here and we forget about everything.”

The problem since then is that the firm that eventually purchased Sheffield United from Prince Abdullah has changed its identity. Page stated that “COH Sports” was established to purchase the club. However, in October 2024, Rosen and Eltoukhy established “COH Sports United LLC” without Page on the board.

The legal claim later said that the intention of the name change was “so that when it came time to sign contracts, the formation of this different entity would not be noticed by the Prince, the EFL, or others reading media reports about the takeover group”.

It is also stated that Rosen and Eltoukhy continued to “participate in emails and discussions with Page and others as if the acquisition by COH Sports were going forward”.

It means that Eltoukhy violated both a non-disclosure and a “non-circumvent” agreement.

Sheffield United owners Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukh’s proposal for the Tom Page case

According to the Telegraph, Page has not commented on the lawsuit, but a COH Sports spokesperson stated: “We are aware of a complaint filed in the United States by a disgruntled former associate who had once hoped to be a part of COH Sports.” His claims are completely without substance and purposefully misrepresent the facts.”

That representative has subsequently stated that their plan is to dismiss the action rather than settle or pursue it further in court, stating: “We will seek prompt dismissal of the case.” COH Sports is committed to helping Sheffield United and ensuring long-term success for the team.We will not make any more comments due to the claims’ fragility.”

It is unclear how long the procedure will take for Rosen and Eltoukhy, as well as their legal representation, but the case is still ongoing and unresolved.