Ex-Crystal Palace part owner John Textor confirms interest in Sheffield Wednesday takeover

John Textor says Sheffield Wednesday are a club he would like to help with pressure mounting on under-fire Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri to sell up

Former Crystal Palace part-owner John Textor has confirmed his interest in taking over Sheffield Wednesday, saying: “It’s a club I would like to help.”

Textor’s interest in acquiring Wednesday was reported earlier in the summer after he departed Palace due to a multi-club wrangle which ultimately saw the Eagles demoted from the Europa League into the Conference League after their FA Cup triumph.

He still has connections to both Lyon and Brazilian side Botafogo, but admits investing in the Hillsborough outfit has piqued his interest.

Textor is keen to dip his toe back into English football and sees the beleaguered Championship outfit as an opportunity to do so.

READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday fans to fly plane over season opener at Leicester as protests ramp up

“I have always been a fan of the most traditional English clubs,” he told reporter Alan Myers. “My great-grandfather was English, and I have long understood the importance of Sheffield Wednesday in the history of football.

“I often cite the club 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.

“Whenever I talk about how I think the system should be better, I often use Sheffield Wednesday as the example of the big traditional club that deserves to be champions or at least have the opportunity to be.

“It’s true that I am looking for a traditional English club to buy, or with which I can partner. I just have not spoken with anybody at Sheffield Wednesday yet, and I am monitoring the situation, hoping to better understand it.

“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.”

Wednesday are a club in chaos under the ownership of under-fire chairman Dejphon Chansiri. The Owls are under embargo for non-payment of transfer fees and are unable to spend money for the next three windows.

A fire sale of stars such as Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba has left them with a squad of just 16 senior players, many of whom are understood to have submitted their notice amid repeated payment issues.

Josh Windass and Michael Smith have already left for free, while the remaining players opted not to take part in a friendly against Burnley last week.

Owls fans are planning a series of protests against Chansiri’s ownership, starting with a plane set to fly over the King Power Stadium during their Championship opener at Leicester on Sunday.

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