Reports yesterday suggested that current Sunderland owner Stewart Donald had selected his prefered bidder for the club. Should these reports from BBC Sport and the Sunderland Echo be true, then Donald has entered a period of exclusivity with the currently unnamed bidder. However, energy drinks tycoon William Storey used his official Twitter account to confirm he is still in the running for the Sunderland takeover.
William Storey Insists He Could Still Buy Sunderland
Club Has Entered a Period of Exclusivity
Stewart Donald and Sunderland have now entered a period of exclusivity with a preferred bidder. As of yet, this bidder is still unknown. However, according to reports, it is not believed to be energy drinks tycoon and former Formula One sponsor William Storey.
It was reported last week that Storey had launched a bid to buy Sunderland from Donald. According to Sky Sports, Storey had launched a bid to buy the League One club.
“I am limited in what I can say due to NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), but I can confirm that I have made a formal legal offer for Sunderland AFC,” he wrote.
“I have significant funding from blue-chip backers. Sunderland are a giant of English football & their fans deserve a team to reflect that stature.”
William Storey Wants Sunderland Takeover
After the news broke yesterday with regards to Donald identifying his preferred bidder and that Storey was not believed to be that bidder, the CEO of Rich Energy took to Twitter.
All will become clear with situation at #Sunderland but current majority owners deserve credit for doing their best to do deal whilst managing stakeholder demands.There are notable creditors with leverage too. If my bid successful I will deliver significant investment & ambition pic.twitter.com/4MdxR7OSnd
— William Storey (@richenergyceo) July 26, 2020
In the comments section of his tweet, fans were understandably unsure whether Storey’s intentions were truthful. He replied to those concerned with: “I look forward to proving you wrong” and “I’m lucky to have some fantastic backers. I’m passionate about a Sunderland renaissance.”
Storey and His History in Sport
William Storey has been involved in football and sports in recent years to varying degrees of success. Storey and Rich Energy became the first sponsors of West Ham United‘s women’s team. An ill-fated time in Formula One followed with a sponsorship deal of Haas. The sponsorship lasted less than a year before Storey and Rich Energy pulled out the multi-million-pound deal.
Fans of Sunderland will be rightly concerned about how the deal with Haas played out; however, with Storey claiming he would deliver “significant investment and ambition”, he may be determined to get this right if only for the good of his reputation.
At present, Stewart Donald’s preferred bidder is unknown and due to an expected non-disclosure agreement being in place, it could be some time before the truth comes out.
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