Mike Ashley has maintained an arm’s length interest in football since selling Newcastle United.
England cricket legend Michael Vaughan believes Sheffield Wednesday should welcome Mike Ashley with open arms.
A lifelong Owl, like other supporters, Vaughan has been left dejected by the club’s ownership under Dejphon Chansiri. Hostile protests have been aimed at the Thai businessman throughout the opening months of the season.
Wednesday were placed into administration last week following an unpaid tax bill - resulting in a 12-point deduction. While an immediate blow, this placed the club’s future out of Chansiri’s hands.
Mike Ashley interest
Ashley has maintained a vested interest in football since selling Newcastle United in October 2021. He considered saving Derby County before their eventual takeover three years ago.
The Sports Direct tycoon also bought Coventry City’s stadium - which he no longer owns - to highlight a continued interest in football. Ashley will never be welcome on Tyneside but does possess a cut-throat financial acumen that could help Wednesday balance the books.
Michael Vaughan open to Mike Ashley
Ex-England cricket captain Vaughan approves of Ashley - pointing towards Sunderland as a club that returned from a dark period. He wrote in The Telegraph: “Every fan, myself included, is hopeful someone has the vision. I wouldn’t mind a Mike Ashley-style owner. People criticise him but I look enviously at where Newcastle are now, so you never know.
“It’ll be a long road back but it might be that someone sees them as more attractive now than they did a couple of weeks ago. Someone with a vision and a bit of cash, I hope they would recognise that Sheffield Wednesday has so much potential to be built up to a position of strength again.
“I look at another North East club, Sunderland, as inspiration. They have been through the mire but are back in the Premier League. We are a similar style club to Sunderland. It will take time and money, but there is some hope because of the fanbase, the history, and great city.”
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‘I’m a negative’ - Mike Ashley
Rewind to a time when Ashley gave arguably his most honest account of his time as Newcastle owner. He told the Daily Mail in 2019: “I'm a negative to that football club. It's not a secret. I don't feel sorry for myself. It is down to me, not Newcastle.
“I give myself one out of five in some aspects because I made proper mistakes, and football isn't a very forgiving place. I didn't just shoot myself in the foot; I blew my own leg off.
“People would look at me and think I'd gone temporarily insane. They didn't know what I was doing. It is so much bigger than when I got involved. I thought at the time I could put in £10million, £20million and it would make a big difference. And it would have done. Now - it's nothing.
“Put in £10million and it's a joke. OK, that's how the market is. But it's not something I can afford, and it's not something Newcastle can afford while I own it. The overriding reality is that I am just not wealthy enough to own Newcastle. I genuinely believe you need £1billion. People say £500million but I'd bet anyone that these days you can't do it for that. Not to compete at the very top.”
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