West Brom takeover update as Kieran Maguire shares ‘positive’ news after MSD loan
Kieran Maguire has suggested that the loan borrowed by West Brom from MSD Holdings represents good news surrounding the ongoing takeover of the club.
Maguire shared that Albion are very much in the process of completing the sale of the club with talks ongoing between all of the relevant parties.
The finance expert insisted that the fact that MSD is willing to lend West Brom more money means they have faith in the prospective owners, where they would otherwise have concerns over the current owner’s ability to repay.
Speaking on The Price of Football podcast [30 November], Maguire reassured: “Taking a positive spin on this, I think West Bromwich Albion are very much in play as far as the sale of the club is concerned.
“The fact that MSD [Holdings] has been willing to lend could be that they are aware of negotiations between the West Brom current owner and the prospective owners, they have a degree of faith in the prospective owners and are therefore willing to lend on that basis.
“Otherwise, it is I think just a little bit twitchy about putting more money into West Brom.”
Positives to take from a worrying situation
Initial worries surrounding the new loan were largely focused on the fact that the club would be saddled with further debt before the new owners came in, leaving them with more than expected to pay off and further complicating what is already a tricky deal.
However, as Maguire looks at it, due to the ongoing negotiations with the prospective buyers, MSD must have had some reassurance or belief that they would be able to pay off their loan, as they would have been apprehensive of lending to the current ownership group.
Taking the positive view of what initially seemed to be another step backwards for West Brom, hopes will remain that this is the way things go rather than an overly optimistic assessment.
With talks over the takeover progressing gradually, and John Percy of The Telegraph sharing the hope that it would be completed by January [30 November], there is all of a sudden more of a positive feel despite the previous fears around the off-field situation.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies could avoid a January fire sale.