Sunderland’s chief executive Jim Rodwell joined Frankie Francis and Danny Collins on the most recent edition of the SAFC Unfiltered podcast where they spent some time talking about the takeover of the Black Cats.
It was reported back in July that Black Cats owner Stewart Donald had granted a period of exclusivity to one potential buying party regarding the sale of the North East club.
While it had been claimed that Donald was hoping to see the sale of the club be completed by the beginning of the 2020/21 season, it hasn’t yet happened – and during this recent edition of the SAFC Unfiltered podcast, Rodwell shed some light on the latest with regard to a takeover of the club.
He said: “We are in, currently, a period of exclusivity. I think things have gone on longer than anybody would’ve liked, predominantly due to [the pandemic] and the uncertainties caused by [it].
“The party that we’re in exclusivity with, they’ve shown us proof of funds. They’re the only people to actually do so. Lots of people – they’re all over the internet claiming that they’re close to buying the football club, but only one party has ever shown us proof of funds and given us a credible plan to take the football club forward, and that’s the party that we’re currently involved in exclusivity with.
“They’ve been uber-professional always, throughout this period, but the simple fact remains that [due to the pandemic], we haven’t got fans in the stadium, we haven’t got a bailout at the moment, [there’s] huge uncertainty and it’s making matters very difficult. Until we get some kind of certainty from, probably, government, then these matters are going to progress, I guess.
“Matters are progressing as well as they possibly can do, but of course, there are questions that we at the football club simply can’t answer, as I alluded to, as regards [to the pandemic] – that is the uncertainty.”
Are you positive about this update on the takeover?
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TIF Thoughts on what Rodwell had to say about the Sunderland takeover…
Judging by what Rodwell had to say, it’s clear that the North East club are still in this period of exclusivity with one party over the potential sale of the club.
It also seems, from what the Black Cats chief had to say, that the current viral outbreak has played a significant role in prolonging the takeover process, which may be understandable when you consider that football clubs’ incomes have been hit significantly by the impact of the pandemic.
Current Sunderland owner Donald shared that he was “desperately trying” to sell the club during the summer and Rodwell’s comment that the process has “gone on longer than anybody would’ve liked” thus far may indicate that the owner still feels this way, while this may also indicate that the would-be buyers are also keen to get involved with the club.
If that is the case, then perhaps it would be best for all involved if the ownership changed hands from someone who is desperate to end their association with the club to a party which would like to be involved with the club sooner rather than later – so hopefully, for Sunderland, this takeover doesn’t take too much longer to reach completion.