Friedel group completes Shrewsbury Town takeover
Roland Wycherley has been Shrewsbury Town owner and chairman since 1996 [Shrewsbury Town FC] Shrewsbury Town's long-drawn-out takeover deal has been completed, allowing former USA international goalkeeper Brad Friedel to come in as the Shropshire outfit's new sporting director.
Key points
- Miami-based businessman Davidson is joined on the new Town board by New York financier Will Dotson and Craig Graham, chairman of Spartans, the Edinburgh-based Scottish League Two club, while former Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur keeper Friedel will come in to work with manager Gavin Cowan.
- The Shrewsbury-born lifelong fan first made his intention clear to sell more than five years ago when the Town were still a League One club.
- Friedel was in attendance at Oteley Road for Town's EFL Trophy Northern Group E win over Everton Under-21s on 27 October.
Additional details
- The paperwork on the share purchase agreement with Scott Davidson's American-based consortium Biscayne ST LLC - which includes Friedel - has been finalised, taking up 87.4 per cent of the League Two club's shares and allowing long-time owner Roland Wycherley to finally let go.
- But his dogged determination to do a deal he had to be convinced was right for the club's long-term future before he handed over the reins has made the Shropshire businessman a tough adversary - and lengthened the process, to the frustration of Town fans.
- Wycherley leaves Town lying 15th in the table, but they are only two points shy of a play-off place and have performed encouragingly this season under manager Gavin Cowan, who came back to the club in January to save them from the drop.
- Town were up to eighth when they won at Crawley on 20 October - and have only slipped down in a tightly-congested table thanks to a late Rotherham equaliser followed by a late Gillingham winner a week later.
- And both he and Davidson are expected to be in attendance for this Saturday's home game with another promotion-winning former Town manager Micky Mellon's Oldham Athletic.
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