Mike Ashley’s clearest reported advantage over the joint American bid for Sheffield Wednesday was his experience owning a football club: he ran Newcastle United from 2007 to 2021. But a BBC Sport report published on 19 December 2025 did not show that Ashley’s offer was better funded, more likely to meet creditor requirements or more likely to complete. It identified two offers that appeared to remain at that point, not a winner.
What was the reported advantage?
Ashley had a track record as a football-club owner, while the rival offer was described as a joint American bid by billionaire John McEvoy and members of the Storch family. BBC Sport said Ashley owned Newcastle United from 2007 to 2021. That experience could be seen as an advantage in understanding the demands of club ownership, but it does not establish that his Sheffield Wednesday bid had stronger financing or better terms.
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The same BBC report noted two relegations during Ashley’s Newcastle tenure and described his reputation as an owner who operated the club within its means. Those details are context, not evidence that either bidder would deliver a better outcome for Wednesday.
What was known about the competing offers?
After the first stage of the takeover process on 21 November 2025, around ten parties were understood to remain. By 19 December, BBC Sport reported that two rival offers appeared to be left: Ashley’s and the joint bid from McEvoy and members of the Storch family. These are figures and descriptions from that dated report, not a current count of bidders.
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The report did not publish comparable bid terms, proof of funding, creditor proposals or commitments to invest in the club’s facilities. It also contained no direct statements about the offers from Ashley, McEvoy or the Storch family. On the information reported, there is no substantiated basis for saying which offer was financially stronger or more likely to be accepted.
Why creditors and the EFL mattered
BBC Sport reported on 19 December 2025 that paying creditors and administrators would cost around £35 million. It also described an EFL insolvency threshold requiring unsecured creditors not directly related to football or HMRC to receive at least 25 pence in the pound. According to the report, falling short could lead to a 15-point deduction.
Those figures explain why a prospective buyer’s ability to fund the transaction and satisfy relevant requirements mattered. They were reported as the financial and regulatory context of the sale—not as confirmed terms of either bid. The report did not say that Ashley or the American group had met, or failed to meet, those conditions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The club’s facilities were another major consideration
The incoming owner would also face spending to bring Hillsborough and the training ground up to modern standards, BBC Sport reported. The article said the council had closed the North Stand over structural-integrity concerns, with the prohibition notice lifted before the season’s first home match. It did not estimate the cost of the wider facilities work or report a bidder-specific investment plan.
That leaves an important comparison unanswered: experience running Newcastle is not the same as demonstrating the funding and plans needed for Wednesday’s stadium, training ground and ongoing operations.
Was a preferred bidder or new owner confirmed?
No. The 19 December 2025 BBC report said joint administrator Kris Wigfield described “periods of confidentiality” as essential while also saying “genuine progress is being made” toward naming a preferred bidder. Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan expressed hope at the time that a new owner would arrive soon, but his comments did not confirm a deal.
The report is a snapshot of the process in December 2025. It does not establish the eventual preferred bidder or takeover outcome, so it cannot support a current claim that Ashley or the joint American group won.
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