Dream scenario – Exclusive: Kevin Phillips thrilled by update on potential West Brom takeover
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips will be delighted if West Brom are bought by a consortium that is backed by US money but fronted by Brits.
Telegraph journalist John Percy reported last week that a US consortium has held talks over a potential £150million takeover.
It was understood that talks are still ongoing with regards to a full takeover or Guochuan Lai selling a minority stake of 15 per cent.
Former Birmingham Mail journalist Chris Lepkowski has since reported that another “two consortia also had US links” and “some of these consortia being led by Brits”.
Lepkowski added: “These aren’t approaches by people blind to the challenges of owning PL/EL football clubs. Money men flanked by people who know, or at least understand, the industry.”
West Brom fans have grown fed up of Lai’s ownership of the club with barely a peep being heard out of the Chinese business since his £200million takeover in 2016.
Phillips believes it would be ideal to see wealthy owners replace Lai at the Baggies but is thrilled by the prospect of a takeover being fronted by Brits.
When asked if that’s a dream scenario for the club, Phillips told West Brom News: “For me, it is.
“Every club would like a wealthy owner but then it’s no good having a wealthy owner who doesn’t know anything about the English game whether it’s the Premier League or the Championship or League One.
“If they nothing about it, they just see it as a commercial thing to earn revenue.
“It’s always pleasing to hear.
“If there are English or British people that understand the traditions that would do the day-to-day running of the football club then I’m all for that.
“It will be interesting to see what happens there with West Brom.”
There’s a lot of West Brom fans who would be happy to see the back of Lai after the Chinese businessman failed to pump extra cash into the club in the last transfer window.
Slaven Bilic and Luke Dowling had to work with a shoestring budget despite winning promotion to the Premier League even though Leeds, who were promoted alongside them from the Championship, splashed around £100million on new players.
Albion won their first league match of the season on Saturday to move out of the Premier League’s relegation zone but the Black Country club is nowhere near out of the woods just yet.
In other West Brom news, Micah Richards was impressed by this Baggies ace in the 1-0 win over Sheffield United.
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