In the life of a Sunderland AFC fan, sources of positive news only occur once in a blue moon. My previous article on the matter fully details the squalid situation existing in this club in recent times. Over the past half-decade, we have endured back-to-back relegations, leaving our once great club languishing in the third tier of English professional football. We have suffered through two Wembley losses in one year, in the Checkatrade Trophy Final and the Playoff Final, in equally crushing and heartbreaking fashion. Now, we finally have something to cheer about, as rumours relating to a takeover of the club circulate.
Yesterday, it was revealed that a takeover of the club was soon to be completed. The consortium in question is led by the founder and CEO of technology giant Dell, Michael Dell. According to Forbes, Dell is the 25th richest man in the world, with a net worth of around 30 billion pounds.
Takeover group takes shape
Dell is joined by partners John Phelan, Glen Fuhrman and Rob Platek, who are assumed to play more of an active role in the organisation than their leader. The true importance of the original takeover led by Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven cannot be understated here due to the immense importance of the latter’s American contacts in securing this possible agreement.
Of course, given the freshness of this breaking news, I must take this information with a pinch of salt. If the interest from these supporters is genuine, they will still need to pass the tests implemented by the EFL to ensure their fitness to make this investment. Nevertheless, Stewart Donald has always been forthcoming about his philosophy of responsible spending; thus these tests are unlikely to provide issues for this consortium should the deal be confirmed.
There does also exist the ever-present cynicism that this is too good to be true. Of course, until this group are pictured at the Stadium of Light holding a red and white striped scarf high above their heads, I won’t truly be able to believe this. Nevertheless, following years of despair, the future may be looking bright for Sunderland AFC.
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