Sheffield Wednesday: There is one clear reason why Tilman Fertitta is the right man to succeed Dejphon Chansiri | OneFootball

There have been numerous groups and individuals linked with purchasing Sheffield Wednesday this summer, but one stands out above all others.

Sheffield Wednesday are up for sale, and there's one name above all others who could stand out as being a suitable owner for the troubled club.

Sheffield Wednesday have had a difficult summer, with uncertainty over the position of head coach Danny Rohl, a transfer embargo over wages and HMRC being paid late, plus players handing in their notice to leave the club.

Wednesday are one of English football's great institutions, and the news that they're for sale has sparked a scramble to register an interest in buying them. The club are going to need a lot of care. Hillsborough has had no renovation carried out on it in years, and the club have 'football debts' which need to be paid immediately.

But while money is important, it isn't the only factor that matters when it comes to running a football club, and this is where one name stands out above all the others that have been mentioned.

It isn't Tilman Fertitta's money that makes him a stand-out candidate to run Wednesday

Tilman Fertitta is an extremely wealthy man, but it isn't his wealth that marks him out as being a prime candidate for this job. Wealthy men have tried and failed to turn the fortunes of ailing football clubs around before.

What makes Fertitta different to the rest is that he already has a proven track record of success with running sports teams, albeit in an extremely different environment to the peculiarities of the EFL Championship or English football in a broader sense.

Fertitta has experience of owning sports franchises in the USA. He was part of the original ownership of NFL’s Houston Texans, and he has been owner of NBA franchise Houston Rockets since 2017.

Fertitta has been a success with both the Texans and the Rockets

Tilman Fertitta was one of the early investors in the Houston Texans NFL franchise, but sold his interest in the team in 2008.

He purchased the Rockets in 2017. His original investment into that franchise was £2.2 billion, and it is now estimated to be worth £5.7 billion, only $100 million less than the world-famous Chicago Bulls. In the first season after the buyout, the Rockets won the NBA's Western Conference but lost in the play-off final.

Sheffield Wednesday represent a very different challenge to either the Texans or the Rockets. Any new Sheffield Wednesday owner will have to deal with the fallout of years of atrocious senior management of the club, while football in this country is financially regulated in a way that sports in America aren't.

But he has experience of running a sports team, and his record has been successful. This alone marks him out as different from the other names who've been associated with running Sheffield Wednesday over the last few days and weeks. Having money will be important, whoever the new owner of the club turns out to be, but it'll take more than being extremely wealthy to get this club back on track following years in football's wilderness.