5:02pm Thursday 9th July 2009
FORMER Saints chairman Leon Crouch has shrugged off talk that he has lost about £1m as a result of Markus Liebherr’s takeover.
The New Forest businessman stumped up an undisclosed sum to help pay the April wage bill of players and staff after Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC entered administration.
Crouch has also refused to confirm or deny the persistent rumour that he also paid the £500,000 non-refundable fee that enabled Pinnacle to win their period of exclusivity at the end of May.
Asked about the potential seven-figure loss – which followed on from losing his £1.6m investment in SLH shares following administration – Crouch told the Echo last night: “It’s not the right time or place to talk about figures.
“I’m just really pleased someone has come along and concluded the deal – someone who wants to buy the club and appreciates what we have got at Southampton Football Club.
“It’s a great opportunity to take this wonderful family club back to where it belongs.”
Asked about his donation towards paying the April wage bill, Crouch – football board chairman at St Mary’s between February-July 2007 and the second half of 2007/08 – said: “No one wants to spend money on things you don’t really want to.
“But I’m undoubtedly a Saints fan and I wouldn’t want the club to fold.
“I have done my best to try and avoid that and hopefully I have helped keep it going until the buyers came along.
“The only way is up now.”
Regarding Liebherr’s takeover, he added: “It’s fantastic news for Saints fans, the staff and the players – it really is great news.
“It’s been a long time coming, but we are there now and hopefully a great future for Southampton Football Club lies ahead.
“It’s been a very difficult time, but true fans always believe in the club.
“We have great facilities at Southampton Football Club, we have the tradition and the history and I always believed someone would come along and rescue us.
Was he surprised it had taken this long to conclude a deal?
“Yes and no,” he stated.
“There’s a lot of people who would like to buy a football club, but when it gets to the stage where they actually have to produce funds they turn out to be time wasters.
“The administrator has to go through all these things and treat them all on their merits.
“So, in many ways, it’s not surprising it has taken quite a long time.
“A lot of people want to buy football clubs, but you have to produce the money and be able to invest going forward.
“Hopefully the Swiss will do that.”
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