Mike Ashley is still in the race to purchase Sheffield Wednesday, but his methods may not be setting him up for the winning bid.
The former Newcastle United owner is seemingly looking for his next footballing project, four years after parting ways with the Magpies.
Mike Ashley has his eyes on Sheffield Wednesday, with the Yorkshire club currently in administration and looking for a saviour amid financial chaos.
We know Ashley can afford to buy Wednesday; quite comfortably, actually. But, whether he can emerge victorious in the pursuit of the Championship side may well be down to how his rival bidders behave in the coming weeks.
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Mike Ashley has interesting tactic in Sheffield Wednesday race
The latest report on the situation comes from The Athletic, and it’s now said there are just three suitors left in the race to buy Sheffield Wednesday.
Mike Ashley is joined by Dunfermline Athletic owner James Bord and another joint bid from John McEvoy and the Storch family.
Interestingly, Bord has worked closely with Sheffield United in the past, as well as Brighton and Brentford, using AI and data-driven analytics. His intention is to form a multi-club portfolio akin to the City Group and BlueCo.
The problem for Ashley at the moment is that he is short of the two other bids. Indeed, the former Newcastle United owner is the outlier in the race right now, as he hasn’t reached the £30m required to satisfy administrators and the EFL, with debts to pay at Sheffield Wednesday as soon as possible.
Apparently, Ashley is hoping that the other two bids run into problems along the way, which would leave him as the sole option for the administrators. It’s a risky play, especially considering Bord has previously been approved to buy football clubs on three occasions, as recently as January when he purchased Dunfermline.
Mike Ashley methods will not surprise Newcastle United fans
It sounds like Ashley could be looking for a slightly cheaper deal for Sheffield Wednesday. Either that, or he’s not all that interested in the club, really.
Sheffield Wednesday fans were excited about Mike Ashley, but they may not end up crossing paths with the former Newcastle man.
As any Newcastle fan will tell you, that’s probably a blessing in disguise. Ashley always saw the Magpies as more of a financial vehicle than a football project, and a number of his decisions severely angered the supporters.
The fact that he appears to be low-balling right now will not surprise Newcastle fans. Whether the tactic will work or not remains to be seen.
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