Meet the Americans who could take Shrewsbury Town into a new era

Bradley Friedel is already extremely well known to English football - and is now set to continue his journey in the boardroom at Shrewsbury Town.

The former United States international goalkeeper is part of the American consortium on the verge of completing a takeover of Town.

The group is led by Miami-based businessman Scott Davidson, while fellow Spartans board members Will Dotson and Craig Graham are also set to become directors at Shrewsbury, subject to approval from the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

Here, we take a look at who is behind the proposed Shrewsbury Town takeover.

Scott Davidson

The US businessman is not a household name in English football compared with Friedel, but will become a familiar figure to Salop fans.

The Miami-based businessman is a self-made multi-millionaire with a background in commercial real estate. He also spent 12 years as managing director at JPMorganChase, the New York-based multinational banking institution.

Crucially, Davidson is also a Uefa A Licence holder, giving him an understanding of coaching, management and the demands of working in football.

He is the majority shareholder of Scottish League Two club Spartans, having joined the club in July 2021.

Davidson helped guide Spartans into the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) for the first time in their history and they have since established themselves in League Two.

They finished runners-up last season after a close title race with East Kilbride, before losing 3-1 on aggregate to third-placed Clyde in the promotion play-offs.

Davidson has also played a significant role in the development of Spartans’ football foundation, which is regarded as one of the largest in the UK.

That community work is likely to be of particular interest in Shropshire, where Town place significant value on the work of their own foundation.

Davidson has received clearance from both the English Football League (EFL) and IFR to proceed with the takeover after passing the necessary owners’ tests.

Talks now continue between his consortium and Town owner Roland Wycherley, with the club saying all parties are working to complete the takeover as quickly as possible.

Bradley Friedel

He needs little introduction to football fans.

Friedel is a Premier League icon, having spent almost two decades playing at the highest level in England.

The 55-year-old Ohio-born goalkeeper has played a significant role in Davidson’s bid to acquire Town and attended a Shrewsbury game earlier this year as talks with the American group progressed.

Friedel retired from playing at the age of 44 in 2015 after an illustrious 20-year professional career.

He made 668 appearances during his career, including 476 in the Premier League for Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

Friedel was also capped 82 times by the United States and represented his country at three World Cups.

He moved into management after retiring, taking charge of MLS side New England Revolution between 2017 and 2019.

Since then, he has worked as a pundit for BBC Sport, talkSPORT, RTE and Fox Sports, including during this summer’s World Cup.

Will Dotson and Craig Graham

Dotson and Graham are also set to become directors at Shrewsbury, subject to IFR approval.

New York-based financier Dotson is currently a director at Spartans, while Graham is chairman of the Scottish club.

Graham has also been central to the growth of the Spartans Community Foundation, which has expanded significantly during his tenure.

At the end of his tenure as chair of the foundation, it was running 36 different programmes each year and reached more than 2,000 people every week.

Both Dotson and Graham’s involvement at Shrewsbury remains subject to IFR approval, which is expected next week, according to reports in Scotland.