Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover situation took a dramatic turn last week when it was revealed that the consortium led by former professional poker player James Bord had pulled out of the process.

The Owls have been in the hands of joint-administrators Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts, and Kris Wigfield of Begbies Traynor since October 24th, but exactly two months later, the trio selected Bord as their preferred bidder for long-term investment in the Hillsborough outfit.

Bord’s current football affiliations include co-ownership of Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Championship, stakes in Córdoba CF (for which he is being sued by Jonathan Cohen) and Septemvri Sofia, and previously advising Steel City rivals Sheffield United on a largely unsuccessful AI-based transfer policy under the ownership of COH Sports.

The London native had formed a consortium with Felix Roemer and Alsharif Faisal bin Jamil. However, the £47.8 million offer made to the administrators has been withdrawn.

The primary reasons for such changes are apparently the procurement of funding (because to Bord’s connections to gaming and crypto-gambling) and the sheer complexity of the project.

Alan Nixon has since stated that the administrators want to see new bids from those who are still interested in a takeover presented by the end of this week, as the club hopes for a quick conclusion to the matter after their probable relegation to League One was confirmed.

With that said, Football League World has looked at which three bidders are the top candidates based on recent reports, as well as their unique situations.

Mike Ashley

Mike Ashley, perhaps the most well-known of the three strongly associated bidders, is seeking for a way back into football ownership nearly five years after selling Newcastle United to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund for £305 million.

The 61-year-old was undeniably divisive at St James’ Park, as he has been since he was first connected with a possible takeover of Wednesday in the autumn.

While also considering a transfer to divisional rivals Derby County, it was claimed on November 26th that Ashley had filed an unsuccessful £20 million proposal to complete a takeover, before revealing that he was prepared to make another move if the Bord-led bid failed.

Local journalist Alan Biggs has now alleged that Ashley is aiming to reach an agreement with the EFL worth around £100 million that would remove the danger of a 15-point deduction at the start of next season for failing to exit administration correctly.

David Storch

David Storch is yet another well-connected possible caretaker.

The Storch family has been linked with EFL takeovers for nearly a year, having previously considered acquiring League One side Plymouth Argyle in the summer as part of a consortium led by ex-Real Madrid and Wales ace Gareth Bale.

While the family’s aggregate net worth is said to be in excess of £1 billion, it was disclosed in December that they had teamed up with American investor John McEvoy in an attempt to acquire ownership of the cash-strapped Owls.

Although such achievements were unsuccessful because Bord was named the original preferred bidder, Storch, like Ashley, has been keenly monitoring developments and recently voiced confidence that he would be able to submit a successful proposal to help Wednesday start a new era.

Ryan Howsam

Ryan Howsam, who was born in Sheffield, is the third main contender.

The insurance tycoon revealed in December that he was the driving force behind the emergence of links that saw ex-Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan emerge as a potential chairman of the Owls, and he has now stated that it would require one major condition for him to take on that role on an individual basis.

With Jordan ruling himself out of making a first concrete bid for the South Yorkshire club, Howsam has revealed that the only way he would take the club on is if the aforementioned 15-point sanction was lifted, which is influenced by the fact that controversial former owner Dejphon Chansiri would earn around £15 million if the £30 million price point is met due to his status as a creditor.

“I actually spoke with [Simon Jordan],” Howsam explained.

“But, ultimately, I believe that there is no way I will pay the necessary sum to join the club without a consequence.

“So the only way that I would entertain anything would be on the basis of them coming to the table and saying that there would be no sanctioning at the bid that I would put in,” according to him.

“That is just the reality.