Sheffield Wednesday are destined for another tough season in 2026-27, with the EFL planning to deduct 15 points from their starting record in League One under new management.

David Storch’s bid under the Arise Capital Partners banner is making progress in terms of completing a takeover, and a soft deadline of May 1 is being worked out so that they can be in place prior to the Owls’ final match of a tumultuous 2025-26 season, which will be against West Brom at a packed Hillsborough Stadium.

Simply put, Wednesday require this takeover for a complete fresh start after being pushed into administration by former owner Dejphon Chansiri in October. Despite no longer operating the club, the Thai tycoon continues to have an impact on the South Yorkshire outfit’s destiny.

Wednesday are headed for another large points loss, this time for the third division of English football, because Storch’s £20 million proposal does not fulfill the EFL’s ’25p in the pound’ rule of fully repaying creditors.

And, with Chansiri being the biggest creditor of them all, having been set to receive £15 million if Storch had put in a bid that met the threshold, he still has a big say on Wednesday’s future on the pitch, but Alan Nixon claims that he is ‘open’ to negotiations with Storch and co, in which Chansiri’s debts against the club would be purchased, with other creditors dealt with in accordance with the EFL’s rules and regulations.

Former Premier League CEO delivers message to EFL on Sheffield Wednesday takeover.

Storch has openly expressed his displeasure with the EFL’s decision to subtract 15 points from next season, and he may take legal action to prevent it from happening.

Former Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness believes the EFL, or possibly the incoming Independent Football Regulator David Kogan, should get involved to ensure Chansiri does not profit from Storch’s takeover because of the state he left the club in.

“There will be a legal aspect to this,” Wyness said Football Insider.

“But you would hope that the EFL, led by Rick Parry and Trevor Birch, will see sense and find a way out of this.

“You now have David Kogan at the independent football regulator, who is also experienced. This is exactly where football must make its own decisions rather than relying on the judicial system.”

“This is an excellent example of something that might be settled within the football family and keep a lot of money out of football.

“It’s going back to Chansiri, but it should stay in football, and that’s what this is about.

“If Sheffield Wednesday do not do it properly or if Storch does not act in good faith, future penalties or other sanctions may be imposed, but I believe he will.”

“There is a way to resolve this with common sense to try and do this for football rather than self-harming.”

Dejphon Chansiri should do the right thing for Sheffield Wednesday immediately.

Chansiri’s status as Sheffield Wednesday’s single-largest creditor is proving to be a constant source of contention, with numerous people unwilling to assist the guy who caused the club’s current predicament.

The Owls’ first few years under Chansiri looked promising, with large sums of money spent to attempt to get them back to the Premier League, but the spending caught up with him, and he left the club in a bad situation when everything was said and done.

It’s not surprising that Chansiri wanted to make the most money possible from the club’s sale, even if it meant alienating himself even more from everyone associated with Sheffield Wednesday, but if he’s willing to negotiate his debt with Storch’s consortium, it might be worth talking because the Owls will be much easier to rebuild without a 15-point penalty.

If Chansiri decides to join those negotiations with Storch and reach an agreement, he will have made the correct decision; it is not too late for him to recover something of his reputation at this late stage.