Saudi billionaire Turki Alalshikh is plotting a blockbuster purchase of an English football club, talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan revealed in April.
Alalshikh, who is the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, has poured millions into the hosting of high-profile sporting events in his homeland.
Boxing, MMA, WWE, Formula 1 and LIV Golf are now regular attractions in Saudi Arabia, with the grandeur of football’s World Cup taking place there in 2034.
Alalshikh’s vision of global supremacy across the sporting landscape has shown no signs of slowing down, according to Jordan, who revealed the billionaire’s plans to invest in English football.
Jordan, who himself is no stranger to football ownership following his stint in charge of Crystal Palace, had been linked with a takeover of Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
However, Jordan quickly poured cold water on those suggestions before revealing the details of recent discussions with Alalshikh, who is worth a rumoured £2.14billion.
“No, but it’s a club that I always speak about because I look at it and wonder why it’s languishing,” Jordan replied when asked if there was any truth in the rumours linking him with a return to football at Hillsborough.
“I don’t have any burning ambition. I didn’t have fun the first time round with a club I loved, but what I do have is a huge amount of knowledge about failure and success.”
He continued: “I had the same conversation, without being too indiscreet, with Turki Alalshikh, because they are looking around at other things to do.
“Whilst I would prefer English clubs to be owned by English people because I’ve got a great pride in my own country, that ship has sailed, that horse has bolted.
“So when I’m asked by these guys ‘What English football club would you advocate for us to buy?’ I said if you’re not going to buy one of the legacy clubs of which there’s three in this country – Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United – the next one down the rank is Tottenham, see if you can get a deal out of Daniel [Levy] for that because that’s a spaceship that needs a new captain.
“If I was buying a football club and I was really motivated and had your kind of dough, I would buy Sheffield Wednesday.”
Asked to clarify if those conversations did indeed take place, Jordan doubled down, saying: “I told him that. We’ll see what they do; they are captains of their own ship, aren’t they?
“Be careful what you wish for. We’ve already got enough foreign investment in our football clubs, but if this is the direction of travel, that’s the way I’d go.”
Sheffield Wednesday were a mainstay for much of the early Premier League years but were relegated during the 1999/2000 season after finishing 19th in the table.
The Owls have since struggled to find their way back to the promised land, something neighbours Sheffield United have achieved on multiple occasions since.
Despite a recent spell in the third tier, Sheffield Wednesday remains one of English football’s big names, according to Jordan, who explained why the club is an attractive proposition for a prospective buyer.
“Because it’s got scale, it’s a big football club,” he explained. “There’s a reason why Hillsborough got used up to a point, for FA Cup semi-finals.
“But I’ve been to that club, I’ve watched it, I’ve seen the fan base. I know the Saudis can look across the city at Sheffield United and think their mate who owns that football club hasn’t had the greatest of times over there, but I think it’s a powerhouse.
“If you got that right, as I said to him, they’d put a statue of you in the town.
“If you buy a London football club, and they’re thinking of a couple, I’m not going to tell you who they are, you’ve got a whole wrath of challenges.
“You buy a powerhouse like Sheffield Wednesday that’s in Yorkshire, not just Sheffield, that could be garnered and pushed forward, no disrespect to [current owner, Dejphon] Chansiri, but somehow or another he’s managed to steal defeat from the jaws of victory.
“They are very bright people and not just because they have a few quid. What they are doing is kicking the tires, asking people questions, getting everyone around them, whether it’s me, Frank Warren or Eddie Hearn.”
Sheffield Wednesday finances
Four months later, there may not be a better time to rescue the Owls, who remain under an EFL transfer embargo for unpaid transfer fees.
Wednesday’s players have also refused to play in a friendly against Burnley this weekend after not receiving their July wages on time.
Owner Chansiri is understood to be trying to sell the troubled Championship side.
Since his takeover in 2015, Wednesday have been sanctioned on multiple occasions due to their finances.
A transfer embargo in 2017 for breaching profit and sustainability rules was followed by a points deduction ahead of the 2020/21 campaign for financial breaches.
Another embargo followed for late payments to staff and players last year, before the current sanctions were imposed.
As a result of those restrictions, the Owls are yet to make any new signings this summer.
However, 14 players have departed, with the majority having done so after their contracts expired or they were terminated by mutual consent.
There are no growing concerns within the EFL over whether the Owls will be able to fulfil their season opener.
The club are set to visit Leicester at the King Power Stadium in less than two weeks on August 10.
Who is Sheffield Wednesday’s manager?
Former manager Danny Rohl left Hillsborough by mutual consent on Tuesday.
He has since been replaced by his assistant manager, Henrik Pedersen, who signed a contract extension earlier this month.
talkSPORT’s Sheffield correspondent, Alan Biggs, said: “Yeah, this in itself is not a surprise, but it’s again a product of the mismanagement at the top of the club.
“Danny Rohl leaving is perhaps the least seismic shock that Sheffield Wednesday have suffered this summer because it was always on the cards.
“It’s been on the cards since about January or February because of his complete fallout with the owner, Dejphon Chansiri, who’s had a habit of falling out, not only with managers, but with key members of staff at Sheffield Wednesday. It’s just a familiar story.
“It was just a case of how he was going to extricate himself from this tangle. And yet again, Sheffield Wednesday, under this ownership, have seen an asset depart and become valueless at the end of the day. You know, players have gone, had their contracts cancelled for which offers have been refused by Chansiri. Players have gone for undervalue.
“People like Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba, as well, have gone for less than the club should have realised. And really, it’s just a story of chaos and appalling decision-making from the top.
“Mismanagement is not too strong a word for it. Total mismanagement.
“I’ve never seen a situation or a club like this crumble in football to this extent. It’s simply a disgrace.
“A disgrace on football because for football to be powerless to act on a situation like this is utterly outrageous in my opinion.”