Football finance expert reveals how soon Shrewsbury Town takeover could be completed

A football finance expert has explained what Shrewsbury Town’s latest takeover development means - and when the deal could potentially be completed.

The club announced on Monday that the American consortium seeking to complete a takeover had been given the green light by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the English Football League (EFL).

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire, of The Price of Football podcast, who also lectures on football finance, has outlined what the development now means.

“Well, this means that the new prospective owners now have the authority from both the EFL and the independent regulator to buy the shares from Roland Wycherley,” he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

“And that’s a private transaction, so that means no money coming into the club itself.

“Once they’ve bought the shares from Wycherley, they’re able to then set the budget for the rest of this year. That’s going to be in terms of wages, that’s going to be in terms of transfers, that’s going to be in terms of infrastructure spend and trying to increase the revenue for the club. We wait to see what their approach will be.

“The history of American owners is mixed. If you take a look at what happened at Crawley Town, they came in, it didn’t really work out there. At Carlisle United, they came in, they put money into the club, they weren’t that familiar with football and it’s cost them an awful lot of money.

“On the other side of the scale, we’ve seen the success clearly at Wrexham, we’ve seen the success of other US owners in terms of being able to accelerate the club.

“So, it’s not a time to be overexcited or underexcited. It’s cautious optimism and that’s what I’d encourage.

“Change can be exciting. I know Shrewsbury hasn’t been through a great time recently, so it is something potentially to look forward to.

“Roland Wycherley clearly feels that he’s done his time now and a fresh pair of hands, perhaps with fresh ideas could be beneficial to all.”

The significant development means the football club is now closer to a takeover than it has been after years of uncertainty and previous attempts to change ownership.

If completed, the deal would bring an end to Wycherley’s long-standing ownership. He recently celebrated 30 years at the helm, having purchased the club in the summer of 1996.

Maguire also explained how long it could take for the prospective owners to officially take over now they have been approved by the IFR and EFL.

“There’s no reason why it should take a long period of time,” he added.

“It’s a bit like buying a house when you get a survey done. Once the survey and mortgage has been approved, it’s then down to the solicitors on both sides of the deal - both the buyer and the seller - to negotiate the final price, make sure the money is received on the appropriate date, and then you hand over the shares.

“As part of the deal, the new owners will end up with a share in the English Football League itself which gives them votes, rights, and then they will be able to pick up the license from the IFR. The licensing system is only a shadow system at present, so I don’t see that being a delay.

“There’s no reason why it can’t be weeks, provided all of the due diligence has been done by the buyers.”