The owner of Sheffield United, Prince Abdullah has confirmed that the plans to sell the club is still on course but admit that the takeover bid from Nigerian billionaire Dozy Mmobuosi is now ‘unilkely’.
Speaking to talkSPORTS in reaction to the feat and the future of the club, he noted that the process will take care of itself.
“I want to be happy today. I don’t want to think about any of that. Tomorrow will take care of itself. I love the club and I’ll always be a Blades fan.” He said.
Dozy made the headline in February with the focus that he was about to complete the takeover bid of the club in a deal worth around £90 million.
However, things seem to have taken a new turn with the recent comments coming from Prince Abdullahi following the team’s promotion to the English top league.
Multiple reports now suggest Mmobuosi has struggled to get a deal on the line and his period of exclusivity has now elapsed, leaving the Prince to admit a deal is now “unlikely”.
“The most important decision in any club is not hiring the right manager or the right players, it starts from the top. If the owner is a bad owner it can drive everything eventually to the ground. My intention is to sell but it’s not guaranteed yet. I’m not going to sell to just anybody. I care about who owns the club next.
“I can’t say it’s off but I think maybe now it’s unlikely. But everything is open.I can’t comment more than that” the Prince told TalkSports
The Saudi businessman is also keen on the takeover done in the ‘ideal’ period before the season starts as he noted the narratives may affect the team in a proper season period.
“If we reach a decision I want it to be before we start preparations for the next season. It can’t affect the team next year. It has to be done now. If we are in the club, we are going to manage it the best we can”.
“There are other parties interested. I would rather do something in the next four weeks or do nothing, but these things never go as expected. There are always some complications here and there.
“The important thing is that we are now in the Premier League. You can have all the money in the world but how can you have a night in Sheffield like [Wednesday] night? Share it with the fans and the players, see the people’s faces and the young fans’ faces, how proud and happy they are. You can’t put a value on that.”
There are also reports that Mmobuosi have paid a substantial amount of money to prove his commitment to taking over United, which by extension ensured that players were paid on time.
Reacting to a question of whether he owes Mmobuosi money if his takeover does not go through. The Prince said: “No, this is not accurate but I don’t want to talk about that. Dozy is a good man and hopefully he will be successful in whatever he does in the future. But we don’t owe anyone any money.”
Meanwhile, reports have claimed that legal battle could be forthcoming as in the face of the commitment made by the African businessman during the negotiation.
Prince also confirmed that there are other parties interested in the takeover bid even as he noted that there could always be complications.
“There are other parties interested. I would rather do something in the next four weeks or do nothing, but these things never go as expected. There are always some complications here and there.
“The important thing is that we are now in the Premier League. You can have all the money in the world but how can you have a night in Sheffield like [Wednesday] night? Share it with the fans and the players, see the people’s faces and the young fans’ faces, how proud and happy they are. You can’t put a value on that.” he said
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