According to news coming through today from The Athletic, Ipswich Town are nearing a takeover with American investors poised to swoop.
The Tractor Boys are hovering just outside the top six in the Sky Bet Championship League One table.
They sit in 10th position but are just five points shy of Doncaster who sit 6th on 49 points.
Town takeover news ‘on cusp’ of realisation
The Athletic’s Matt Slater and Phillip Buckingham write that Ipswich could soon be changing hands. They state that a group of US investors led by Brett Johnson “is on the verge of buying” Town to the tune of “£17.5million.”
Ipswich are currently owned by Marcus Evans and have been for the past 13-or-so years. The Athletic’s Slater and Buckingham say that Evans is willing to write off the debt the club would owe him. This would give “Johnson’s group a clean slate.”
Who is Brett Johnson
Johnson is a Los Angeles-based businessman. He is founder and chairman of Fortuitous Partners – a sports investment fun. He is also in charge of Benevolent Capital Partners – a private equity firm who have investments in sport.
According to another Athletic piece (link in last paragraph), Johnson bought a minority stake in USL side Arizona United in 2015. This was in 2015, they were rebranded inside a year into Phoenix Rosing and are one of the most successful teams in the USL – the second tier of US football.
Takeover around the corner – Nixon agrees
The Athletic’s news, per Slater and Buckingham, indicates that a takeover agreement could be just around the corner.
However, ‘just around the corners’ in football seem to go on forever when takeovers are involved – look at Wigan and their situation.
Alan Nixon was tagged by an Ipswich Town fan about the takeover – this coming on a question asked of him b a Wigan fan.
Ipswich takeover?
— Alex Fordham (@alexfordham03) February 26, 2021
Nixon quote retweeted this and added his answer:
May finally be on https://t.co/cRhvttg1AN
— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) February 26, 2021
Hesitant, perhaps, using “may be” but all the signs are pointing at an Ipswich Town takeover arriving in Suffolk sooner rather than later.
