What is Tilman Fertitta's link to Donald Trump as Sheffield Wedn...

The American businessman Tilman Fertitta, whose strong ties to US President Donald Trump are well known, has become the focus of

takeover discussions surrounding Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday has been through a crisis this summer, with salaries being paid late, the EFL imposing a transfer embargo, and

the manager Danny Rohl’s position being totally unclear.

There has been a lot of talk about a takeover amid all of this, and in recent days, there have been rumours of a “scramble” to show

interest in the club as it has become more and more obvious that current owner Dejphon Chansiri’s position is no longer viable.

The American businessman Tilman Fertitta, who is seen as a close ally of US President Donald Trump, is among the most well-known

figures that have come to be associated with the club in recent weeks.

The hospitality sector provides Fertitta with the majority of her revenue.

In addition to his other athletic pursuits, Fertitta already owns the Houston Rockets NBA team. He reportedly has a net worth of over

$10 billion, having amassed it through the Landry’s restaurant chain. He currently controls hotels, casinos, and other hospitality-

related companies.

He first became involved with casinos in 2005 when Landry’s acquired and enlarged the Golden Nuggets Casinos. As part of the

expanding Landry’s empire, he also opened aquariums and amusement parks. Fertitta initially got acquainted with Donald Trump

through casinos. He renamed the Trump Marina casino The Golden Nuggets Casino Atlantic City after purchasing it from Trump in

2011.

Like Trump, Fertitta also has a reality TV background, having appeared in the CNBC series “Billion Dollar Buyer.” Speaking in 2017, at

the time that this show was broadcast, Fertitta said that Trump would be good for US business, specifically because he vowed to take

away regulations that he felt were unnecessary.

Fertitta’s connections to Trump are political as well as business

However, Fertitta has more than just commercial ties to the US president.

He has long been a political donor, having given to the Bush family and Bill Clinton, but since Trump’s reelection in November 2024,

his political prominence has grown significantly.

The appointment of Fertitta, who has Sicilian origin herself, as the US Ambassador to Italy was confirmed in January 2025. In

reference to Fertitta’s ownership of Landry’s, Trump said on Truth Social at the time, “Tilman is an accomplished businessman, who

has founded and built one of our Country’s premier entertainment and real estate companies, employing approximately 50,000

Americans.”

Despite having no prior political experience, Fertitta was officially appointed to the role in May. It is well known that the Trump

administration holds Italian President Giorgia Meloni in high regard. The president has called her “beautiful,” “a fantastic leader and

person,” and a “precious genius.”

It remains to be seen what Sheffield Wednesday fans think of having such a close associate of a highly polarising person own their

team.