Simon Jordan shares brutally honest thoughts on buying EFL club if takeover deal collapses

Simon Jordan has insisted he has ‘no desire’ to become Sheffield Wednesday’s next owner if their proposed takeover falls through.

The Owls, who became the earliest team relegated in the history of the English Football League last weekend, are still on the market after being placed into administration in October.

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This came after years of mismanagement under Dejphon Chansiri, which has seen the club hit with two points deductions this season.

What is the current situation at Sheffield Wednesday?

Wednesday were given an automatic 12-point penalty for administration, and another six were later deducted for breaching EFL regulations.

Numerous financial issues, including £1million in unpaid taxes to HMRC, have played a significant role in the Yorkshire side’s demise.

And things reached a new low on Sunday, when their relegation to League One was confirmed by a 2-1 defeat to arch rivals Sheffield United.

With their fate already sealed on the pitch, Wednesday are now desperate to get back on a stable financial footing.

In December, a three-man consortium fronted by James Bord, and including German AI guru Felix Roemer and Middle East businessman Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil agreed a £30m fee to buy Wednesday out of administration.

However, the group are yet to be approved by the EFL two months on.

With the new Independent Football Regulator also carrying out their own enquiries, talkSPORT has been told by sources close to the sale process the situation could drag on for many more weeks.

Among the potential obstacles to a sale is Bord’s background as a professional punter, with the government looking to clamp down on gambling sponsorship in sport.

Should a deal collapse, ex-Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is still waiting in the wings, having previously made an offer to buy the club.

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However, Ashley’s £20m bid is around £10m short of administrators Begbies Traynor’s asking price.

Jordan: My days in football are ‘over’

While Wednesday’s potential new owners may now be clearer, the list of interested parties was once much longer.

Among those to have looked at the club is talkSPORT host and ex-Crystal Palace owner Jordan, who had been part of a group considering a takeover bid.

He revealed in December that he, alongside, Sheffield-born insurance tycoon Ryan Howsam, had come up with the required funds to buy the Owls, but were put off by the need to pay Chansiri £15million as part of the takeover.

And Jordan has now reiterated that he has no intention to revisit his previous takeover proposal, as he shared his thoughts on the current situation at Hillsborough.

Speaking on Tuesday’s talkSPORT, the former Eagles chairman admitted he was surprised by Ashley’s continued interest in the club.

Jordan began: “I’m amazed that Mike wanted to do it, to be honest.

“I don’t think he had the greatest of times at Newcastle, but apparently he just loves football and wants to be involved again, but only on his terms.”

Explaining what his involvement in Wednesday would have looked like, Jordan revealed he was ultimately put off by the demands of the role, having previously been Palace owner between 2000 and 2010.

He continued: “I ran a football club for ten years. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to. I have no desire to run another one. 

“Ryan [Howsam] would have had me go up there and run it for him, which I didn’t want to do. I’ve got other things to do with my life.

“I’ve run a football club. I had ten years of it.”

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Asked if he would reconsider his interest in Wednesday if their proposed takeover falls through, Jordan replied: “Nah.”

And when pressed if his days in football were ‘over’, Jordan confirmed: “Yeah.

“I’ve always advocated for Sheffield Wednesday. Always suggested that they’re a club waiting to happen. If someone can get behind them, get some momentum, it’s a great football club with great scale opportunities.

“Ironically, when I was looking deeper into it, the digital footprint it has, is much smaller than that of Sheffield United, albeit I think Sheffield Wednesday is a bigger club, because they haven’t been in the Premier League for such a long time. 

“So the digital footprint and those sort of things, which are part and parcel of the whole branding opportunity of a football club, which is why Wrexham are so successful [make it an attractive proposition].

“But the reality of it is, I think there are better opportunities for me in other spaces than going and running a football club again.”