Takeover Talk Will Run And Run

May I start by wishing you all a very happy and healthy Easter.

There is a strange sense of nervous anticipation in the air this morning. We have known for some time that ITV have wanted to offload their near ten percent stake in the club. We have also witnessed the ‘agreement’ with the Colorado Rapids and come to know of Stan Kroenke as a result.

It is therefore no surprise that the ITV shares and Kroenke have been united. The Guardian suggests that the sixteen percent holding of Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith could be the next target. I think I would be looking at a bigger player at this stage.

Daniel Fiszman owns around a quarter of the club and has been quiet through all of the recent speculation. Keith Edelman said just last week “The directors are committed to the club and love the club”. As pointed out at the time that was clearly less than a denial that something was afoot. The silence of Fiszman has been deafening.

It is still far too early to speculate just how big a chunk of the club may fall into Kroenke’s hands in the short term, if indeed he is launching a bid. We also have no idea at this stage of how Kroenke would fund any bid, and what his plans for the club would be.

One thing is for certain. This story will not go away over the coming months.

If you are going to the West Ham match tomorrow give the boys an extra cheer for me. I will be there also but the old vocal chords are not at their best, much to the delight of my travelling companions.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday.