Saturday, August 7, 2010

It Willl Take 4 To 6 Weeks For Liverpool To Be Sold

Liverpool are expecting to welcome new owners in the next four to six weeks, according to club secretary Ian Silvester.

Six potential investors are involved in the battle for control of the Anfield club but Hong Kong-based businessman Kenny Huang is understood to the firm favourite to replace current owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks at the helm.

Huang is working on behalf of a Chinese consortium, who have strong links with the country's government, and has enlisted the services of Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd, in a bid to begin work a new stadium in Stanley Park should their bid be successful.

Gilett and Hicks pledged to put 'a shovel in the ground' as part of plans for a new home for the Reds within 60 days of taking over the club three-and-a-half years ago but the project has been shelved due to the ongoing financial problems at Anfield.

The Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays Capital are both involved in the sale process, which is being overseen by British Airways chief Martin Broughton, in a bid to end Liverpool's debt-ridden days under the Americans.

Silvester, who was appointed secretary by Liverpool last year following Bryce Morrison's sudden death, admits that it is this pressure from RBS and BarCap that could see a sale completed as early as before the close of the transfer window on September 1.

"Fom what I understand, and that's all I can say, that the urgency is there due to the pressure from the banks so I would anticipate that something will be happening within the next four to six weeks or so", he said.

Ganis claims that unlike Gillett and Hicks, Huang's group will make good on their pledge to ensure that the club will remain debt-free as well as providing a significant transfer budget to Roy Hodgson as well as funding to build a new stadium.

The president of the Chicago-based firm also insisted that their bid, if accepted, would not allow Gillett and Hicks to walk away from Anfield with any profit, as had been their intention when they placed the club up for sale in April.

He said: "What is not one of our goals is the enrichment of the existing owners.

"If we submit a proposal and it is accepted, it would be focused on the future and not the past."

However fans remain concerned by the grand pledges being made by would-be owners and supporters' union Spirit of Shankly have urged Broughton and the rest of the Liverpool board to act in the club's best interests and choose the Americans' successors wisely.

A spokesman said: "With so much speculation and misinformation, we cannot be sure of the intentions and resources of ‘interested parties’.

"The club must be sold to those who are ‘fit and proper’ and who will be ‘true custodians’ who have the necessary expertise and resources to restore our great club to its rightful place.

"Those responsible for overseeing the sale need to ensure that, as a minimum, any new owner is the right person for the football club and it’s supporters, not for the profit they can provide to greed driven businessmen.

"The long-term future of this football club, as well as any investment in it, is entirely dependent on the goodwill and support of the fans.

"Should we have new owners, we need to know what role supporters can play, to make sure the problems of the past three years are not repeated and to make sure that supporter issues are heard."

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