Exclusive: Sky pundit urges John Textor to address Sheffield Wednesday issue as takeover talks intensify | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie has spoken to FLW about John Textor’s interest in taking over Sheffield Wednesday.

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes John Textor’s first job will be to stabilise Sheffield Wednesday, as the American businessman holds an interest in taking over the club.

The Owls are currently in a mess as the 2025-26 Championship season looms, with the club suffering transfer embargoes, sales to key players, notices being handed in, and a closed North Stand at Hillsborough due to health and safety concerns.

Heading into their clash with Leicester City this weekend, the Owls only have 15 senior players available, with the club surely destined for relegation back down to League One if someone else doesn’t take control of the football club.

But ex-Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor has offered some optimism, with the 59-year-old reportedly part of an American consortium that is interested in saving the club and leading it to a more prosperous future.

Whether he can negotiate an acceptable price with Chansiri is another matter, with the Thai businessman reportedly wanting £100m for a total sale, a figure the club definitely isn’t worth at this moment in time.

With this news in mind, Lee Hendrie has spoken to FLW about the potential of Textor taking over at Sheffield Wednesday, and what he needs to implement straight away to get the club back on track.

Lee Hendrie urges John Textor to stabilise Sheffield Wednesday so they can move forward

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Hendrie believes Textor needs to prioritise offering the club immediate stability so they can have optimism over the upcoming Championship campaign.

Hendrie said: “I think if he (Textor) goes in there, then the main priority is just stabilising the ship at the moment, because I think there's just so much stuff surrounding the place, you know, bad vibes.

“It needs someone to just give the fans something to go at and the players, and I think it's just stabilising the football club for one, getting the players back on board, getting the right manager in that's going to take the club forward, because otherwise it's going to end up being a real mess.

“The season is just about to start, so I think it needs to be resolved very quickly, but I think anyone that goes in or takes over that football club is going to be able to do an awful lot straight away.

"I think it is just about getting that security, getting that stability so that they can move forward.”

John Textor, Sheffield Wednesday takeover needs to happen quickly despite unreliable track record

It’s an absolutely dire situation for all involved at Sheffield Wednesday, with Dejphon Chansiri's actions - or perhaps inaction - leading the club down an ever-increasingly darker path, and one that many can't help but feel will lead them towards certain relegation.

Owls supporters will be desperate for anybody to come in that wants to see the Owls thrive, but there is reason to be wary of John Textor’s up and down track record of football club involvement.

This is highlighted by his mishandling of French giants Lyon - where he has now stepped down from his leadership role at the club - with the French outfit narrowly escaping relegation to Ligue 2 after originally being hit with a demotion over concerns about the club’s finances.

His experience in English football came with Crystal Palace, where he had limited control over determining the path forward for the Eagles, so it’s also hard to know just how much credit he deserves for their rise to FA Cup glory and European football either.

But what isn't up for debate is that under Chansiri's Hillsborough rule, the soul of this giant of a football club is being ripped out, and something has to be done to avoid it being sent into the abyss.