Sheff Wed's next preferred bidder to soon be revealed

We are coming to the end of the latest critical week at Sheffield Wednesday.

Final offers for the club are due on Friday. That does not mean everything will necessarily be cut and dried by the weekend.

If you are planning to spend a day furiously refreshing your X timeline waiting for news, just be aware there are things that need to happen before anything is confirmed.

Offers will need to be evaluated. You have then got legal terms to be agreed by both sides. There is also a deposit to be paid.

Even so, Wednesday fans will be eager to find out who the next preferred bidder is.

There are two parties who were involved when the last preferred bidder was announced, believed to David Storch and Mike Ashley-fronted bids.

There were two other interested parties who showed interest who previously didn't provide proof of funds during the last round of bids.

As first reported by the Sheffield Star earlier this week,, external a group involving Charlie Methven is believed to have shown interest. There was another group - but we have been unable to stand-up who it is, or whether they are planning an actual offer.

It looks most likely to be Storch or Ashley. It felt a little bit like that in December though and then, surprisingly, the James Bord-led consortium emerged to claim preferred bidder status.

There are a few things to contemplate as we reach the latest finish line.

I think most fans appreciate the Titanic size of the task facing any new owner at Wednesday.

For those not aware, the amount of investment required to get the club up to speed is absolutely eye-watering.

The stadium, training ground and squad need huge amounts of work. Right off the bat a lot of money is going to need to be spent on things people have no idea need urgent attention.

The infrastructure has been neglected for far too long.

The plan cannot be to make the same mistakes as Dejphon Chansiri.

You cannot spend a bit on the team, hope for the best, and if that does not work, oh dear.

A proper plan for the long-term future of the club is badly needed.

The other important thing is to make this an actual 'club' again.

We get to work with six professional clubs on our patch. They are all a bit different.

Some are better than others when it comes to respecting their fans, treating them like supporters not customers and communicating.

Wednesday's new owners need to bring everyone together and channel the spirit we saw when the club went into administration.

The fanbase can be a fantastic asset if treated properly. You will get a lot of patience with Owls fans and they will respond if they feel like they're part of the fabric of the club and not just a means to make money.

Work closely with the Supporters Trust. Have a shadow board like the one that has been a huge success at Doncaster Rovers and has since been created at Sheffield United.

Communicate. Find your easy wins - like keeping the old badge, having a proper home hit, making tickets affordable.

Give the staff energy and trust them, especially after all they have been through, sticking by the club. They deserve to be injected with enthusiasm.

Have the kind of long-term plan that has been missing at a club that has seemingly lived eternally in the short-term.