Rick Blaskey Emerges as Potential Buyer for Relegated Sheffield Wednesday

Rick Blaskey, the music and advertising mogul, has expressed an interest in joining the race to become Sheffield Wednesday’s new owner, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal. 

According to a number of well-placed sources at Hillsborough, Blaskey made an exploratory approach to Begbies Traynor (BT) when a consortium fronted by James Bord, a professional poker player from the US, renounced the preferred bidder status it had been awarded by the administrators tasked with running the financially stricken club.

Although Bord’s compatriots, The Storch family, are now thought to be at the front of a queue also containing Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, Blaskey could yet submit a formal bid if their proposed takeover runs into trouble.

Despite persuading a number of investors to back his attempt to buy Wednesday, including some from the Middle East, Bord’s links to gambling and cryptocurrency trading meant he was always going to struggle to convince the EFL and the independent football regulator to support his candidacy to replace Dejphon Chansiri, whose decision-making thrust Henrik Pedersen’s side onto the precipice of oblivion, moving forward.

Providing he can demonstrate sufficient funding, Blaskey would be unlikely to face a similar challenge having made his fortune by founding The Music and Media Partnership three-and-a-half decades ago.

The company, which fosters relationships between musicians and the organisers of sporting events, is believed to have been the first of its kind in the UK after launching in 1991. 

Blaskey would inevitably look to leverage some of the contacts he has collected in both fields to help unlock Wednesday’s potential should he eventually take charge.

Owls Desperate For Fresh Start

Nevertheless, The Storch offer currently remains the most attractive to BT as they look to reimburse those left out of pocket following the collapse of Chansiri’s controversial and, by the end, chaotic reign.

Stripped of any experienced performers, Pedersen has acquitted himself well at the helm of a squad rendered unfit for purpose by a series of key departures over the summer. 

Having twice been deducted points by the EFL this term, their relegation to League One was confirmed following a loss to arch-rivals Sheffield United last month and the set are set to start next season with a 15-point deduction.