American billionaire businessman John Textor has been linked with a takeover at Hillsborough from Dejphon Chansiri, but the Owls faithful may fear the worst after this latest twist.

Sheffield Wednesday are the talk of the Championship following the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign, but for all the wrong reasons.

Financial turmoil has seen Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri leave players unpaid for last month, and has forced some club staff to seek emergency funding.

As a result of the Owls’ issues, the club has been hit with a three-window transfer ban by the EFL, meaning that transfer or loan fees are immediately prohibited within this summer transfer window.

Billionaire businessman John Textor has recently lodged interest in taking over Sheffield Wednesday, but the Owls fans may now fear the worst regarding the American after another club he co-owns has suffered their own financial disaster.

John Textor’s Lyon relegated from Ligue 1 over financial issues

Following the news that Sheffield-born businessman Adam Shaw is making progress in taking over at Hillsborough, it emerged that former Crystal Palace owner Textor is “considering” buying Sheffield Wednesday.

Textor recently sold his 43% stake in the London outfit to New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson for a fee around £190m, as his co-ownership of Lyon and Palace threatened to stop the Eagles’ Europa League participation due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules .

The news of Textor’s interest came shortly after former Palace chairman Simon Jordan revealed on TalkSport that he had recommended buying the Owls to Textor.

Jordan said on TalkSport: “I was talking to John Textor the other day, if he comes out of Palace, I was saying to him, that’s the football club you should be buying if you want to buy another English football club.”

However, Sheffield Wednesday fans may be fearing a potential Textor takeover at S6, after French giants Lyon were relegated from the French top flight to Ligue 2 over financial issues.

Textor is a member of the Eagle Football Group, who own significant stakes in several football clubs, including Botafogo, Daring Brussels, FC Florida, as well as Lyon.

The seven-time French champions were relegated after an audit by a French football finance watchdog, after being hit by a provisional relegation back in November, after racking up massive debts, and that demotion was upheld following meetings this week despite their sixth-placed Ligue 1 finish.

Textor said earlier in the season there was “no chance” Lyon would be relegated this season, and the French giants outlined in a club statement they will “immediately appeal the incomprehensible decision.”

Sheffield Wednesday fans may now fear the worst for a potential Textor takeover, especially after his ownership of Lyon was labelled as the catalyst for their demotion and financial turmoil by a French football expert.

French football expert slams prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner John Textor

Prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner Textor became the owner of French giants Lyon in June 2022, when he acquired 40% of the club shares from Jean-Michel Aulas after the club finished 8th in Ligue in 2021/22.

Months later in December, the American acquired a 77.5% stake in Lyon through his investment vehicle, the Eagle Football Group, in a deal for which the reported total value was around the €884m/£752m mark.

In two-and-a-half-years of Textor’s ownership at Lyon, the club have been relegated to Ligue 2 over financial issues, which led to French football journalist Julie Laurens scolding the potential future Owls owner.

When asked, “What has happened at Lyon?”, Laurens said on TalkSport: “John Textor happened!

“I don’t know how Crystal Palace fans feel about him, but he almost cost them a place in the Europa League next season, but Lyon fans want him out of their club because since he took over Jean-Michel Aulas, who is the historical owner and president of that club, who did so many great things,

“When he sold the club to John Textor they were a powerhouse not just in French football but in European football as well in Champions League, but since John Textor arrived and took over that club it’s been an absolute disgrace.

“The way he ran that club to the ground really because to the point of being relegated to the second division because your debts are so high and you can’t actually offer a proper plan to just deal with it and deal with the money that you’re losing season after season, when you sack managers, when you employ wrong people, when you sack director of football, all of that.

“And if they are in this position right now of being relegated, which we knew was coming because they were provisionally relegated back in November with the French regulators saying listen you’ve got too many debts, this is not sustainable you have to do something about it,

“But they didn’t do enough about it now they will appeal and they might find a way, but even just now this is a proper earthquake in French football.”

Sheffield Wednesday fans would prefer Shaw to Textor, and it’s clear why in light of this recent revelation for Lyon, as going from one owner in financial disaster to another is precisely what the Owls need least currently.

Read more on;https://www.sportupdates.co.uk