After recently selling his share in Crystal Palace, John Textor is looking for an immediate return to English football as the US businessman has an interest in buying Sheffield Wednesday.
Textor has stepped up his interest this week after partnering with investment banker and football financier Keith Harris. He will advise Textor on potential negotiations for the proposed acquisition of Sheffield Wednesday with current owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Harris has previously brokered football club acquisitions in the past, including at Manchester City and Aston Villa. He also organised a consortium, which was unsuccessful in its bid to buy Everton, a club Textor was also interested in acquiring.
The two will now work together to come to an agreement with Chansiri, who has previously rejected bids of up to £40m from a US consortium last month. It is believed from reports Chansiri values the club at £100m.
During an interview with TalkSport’s Jim White and Simon Jordan, Textor expressed his interest in Sheffield Wednesday as the Championship club are currently enduring financial issues.
“It’s true that I am looking for a traditional English club to buy, or with which I can partner,” said Textor. “I’m definitely interested. It’s a lot to solve in a short amount of time with regards to taking advantage of the transfer window but it’s definitely a club and community I would like to help.
“I often cite [Sheffield Wednesday] as an example of what’s wrong with football today. The lack of parity, because of the influence of money and I wish there was a system where the Sheffield Wednesdays of the world could be champions again.”
Can Textor save Sheffield Wednesday?
Sheffield Wednesday started the 2025/26 season avoiding any more financial embargoes after paying its players, but it has been late several times with its payments, which prompted the English Football League (EFL) to take action in June.
The EFL charged Chansiri and the club for the repeated delays in paying its players and other members of staff their wages. Sheffield Wednesday were only able to pay players and staff their most recent wages after a solidarity fund was granted by the Premier League to the club.
Sheffield Wednesday are currently under a fee restriction for the current and next two transfer windows and reports surfaced recently that players could go on strike and possibly terminate their contracts if late payments continue.
The EFL said in a statement: “The league wants to see a strong, stable and competitive Sheffield Wednesday, and for that to happen we are clear that the current owner needs either to fund the club to meet its obligations or make good on his commitment to sell to a well-funded party, for fair market value – ending the current uncertainty and impasse.
“We continue to pursue options available to us to resolve the current challenges, and to that end the league is currently in advanced discussions with Mr Chansiri’s legal advisors on formalising a process around divestment of his shareholding in the club.”
Textor currently operates a multiclub ownership model under Eagle Football Group, which owns Lyon, Botafogo and RWD Molenbeek. He has also run into financial issues of his ownership of Lyon, with the French football club being provisionally relegated to Ligue 2 before being reinstated to Ligue 1 after a clearance by French authorities.
