By Nick HarrisThursday, 24 January 2008
Liverpool's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, remained insistent last night that they will today announce a £350m refinancing package and detailed plans for a new stadium. But fans sent a fresh, resounding message that they want the Americans out. Alternative investors from Dubai remain on standby, while the club's chief executive, Rick Parry, is perched on the horns of a dilemma that leaves his own future uncertain.
Hicks and Gillett have been claiming for months that refinancing is imminent. They plan to borrow £350m to repay the cash they used to buy Liverpool last year and start work on a new stadium. A sticking point has been a reluctance by the Americans to put a penny of their own money into the deal. Another fundamental block has been that Parry does not want the new debt piled on to the club's books secured against club assets.
For the refinancing to go through in such a fashion, Parry's signature, as a key player on the board, would be required, as well as those of Hicks, Gillett and the banks. If Parry refused to sign, his job could theoretically be at risk. If he signs, he risks the kind of fan backlash suffered by David Gill at Manchester United since the Glazer takeover at Old Trafford.
Hicks and Gillett have been claiming for months that refinancing is imminent. They plan to borrow £350m to repay the cash they used to buy Liverpool last year and start work on a new stadium. A sticking point has been a reluctance by the Americans to put a penny of their own money into the deal. Another fundamental block has been that Parry does not want the new debt piled on to the club's books secured against club assets.
For the refinancing to go through in such a fashion, Parry's signature, as a key player on the board, would be required, as well as those of Hicks, Gillett and the banks. If Parry refused to sign, his job could theoretically be at risk. If he signs, he risks the kind of fan backlash suffered by David Gill at Manchester United since the Glazer takeover at Old Trafford.
No comments:
Post a Comment