A potential new chapter could soon begin at Sheffield Wednesday after James Bord was named the club’s preferred bidder.
The Owls have been up for sale since October, when former owner Dejphon Chansiri placed both the club and the stadium-owning company into administration, bringing his decade-long spell at Hillsborough to an end.
Following a selection process that narrowed down interested parties, Bord emerged ahead of high-profile rivals including ex-Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and American businessman David Storch, with administrators granting him preferred bidder status on Christmas Eve.
Bord, a former professional poker player, now heads data firm Short Circuit Science and already has experience in football ownership. He is co-owner of Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic and holds stakes in Spain’s Córdoba and Bulgaria’s Septemvri Sofia.
While he has never owned an English club outright, Bord is familiar with the Championship through his previous involvement at Sheffield United, where he worked as a recruitment advisor. The Blades used his AI-driven model to sign several players over the past year, including Jefferson Cácares, Christian Nwachukwu, Mihail Polendakov, Nils Zätterström and Ehije Ukaki.
That spell at Bramall Lane, however, has raised serious concerns. Cácares left permanently for Dunfermline after just six months, while the other four signings have managed a combined total of just one senior appearance. Chris Wilder has since confirmed Bord no longer has any involvement with Sheffield United.
Following news of Bord’s potential takeover at Hillsborough, a Sheffield United fan pundit issued a stark warning to Wednesday supporters. Speaking to Football League World, Jimmy from the Blades Ramble YouTube channel was highly critical of Bord’s influence during United’s troubled summer.
He stressed that fans can only judge from what they see externally, but described Bord’s impact behind the scenes as “an absolute disaster.” Jimmy claimed Bord played a key role in Wilder’s dismissal and sanctioned expensive signings who failed to contribute on the pitch, branding them a waste of money. Despite that, he admitted there was a sense of grim irony in seeing Bord potentially take charge of United’s closest rivals.
Concerns among Wednesday supporters are understandable, even though Bord has yet to outline his plans and still requires EFL approval for the takeover. His time at Bramall Lane is widely viewed as damaging, with United suffering a disastrous start to the season — losing their first six matches — after sweeping changes were made.
Although the Blades have since stabilised following Wilder’s return and a shift towards more experienced recruitment, the fallout from Bord’s involvement remains fresh. The speed with which United unraveled after reaching the play-off final the previous season has left many questioning his track record.
As a result, Sheffield Wednesday fans now face an anxious wait to see whether Bord’s bid is approved — and whether the club could be heading down a similar path.
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