Premier League icon makes second Shrewsbury Town appearance in a week amid takeover

Premier League icon Brad Friedel made a second appearance at Shrewsbury Town within a week as the club’s American takeover edges closer to completion.

The former United States international goalkeeper is a close friend of consortium leader Scott Davidson and has played a significant role in the bid to take control of Town.

Friedel, who is based in Miami, attended a Town fixture earlier this year as talks with the American group progressed.

He was then spotted in the directors’ box for Tuesday’s EFL Trophy victory over Everton Under-21s before he returned to the Croud Meadow for Salop’s clash with Gillingham, which also marked former boss Gareth Ainsworth’s return to the club.

Should the takeover be completed, Friedel will join the board alongside Will Dotson and Craig Graham, who are directors at Scottish League Two side Spartans.

Friedel is a familiar name to English football supporters after spending almost two decades playing at the highest level.

The Ohio-born 55-year-old enjoyed a distinguished career with Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, making 668 appearances during a 20-year professional career, including 476 in the Premier League.

At international level, Friedel won 82 caps for the United States and represented his country at three World Cups.

After retiring in 2015 at the age of 44, he moved into management, taking charge of Major League Soccer side New England Revolution between 2017 and 2019.

He has since worked as a pundit for several broadcasters, including the BBC and talkSPORT.

During a recent interview on talkSPORT, Friedel was asked: “Why Shrewsbury?”

He replied: “The first people that get to know that will be the fans, the current staff and the players.

“They will be the first ones to know, and after that I will be more than happy to speak to people about it. That is a fair way to act.

“Any owner of a football club is technically a custodian of the club - the fans are the true owners of every single club around the globe. We know that and want to give the fans to the fans, players and staff first.”

Friedel’s visits to Shrewsbury come as the American consortium closes in on taking control of the club from long-serving chairman Roland Wycherley.

Wycherley has been at the helm for more than 30 years, with the proposed sale representing a significant moment in the club’s history and future.