Source: FOOTYMAD
New Candidate Emerges In Pompey Takeover Bid
Thomas Lever could be the next owner of Portsmouth FC. It was revealed today that 21-year-old Thomas Lever has been in negotiations to buy Portsmouth Football Club for £16 million.The Manchester based entrepreneur has made the majority of his fortune through development and has provided proof of funds to Andrew Andronikou within 6 days of contact.Lever hasn't stopped there, however, as he has outlined a ten year plan for the club which includes purchasing the land around Fratton Park, currently owned by Sacha Gaydamak, and also plans to build a new stadium.Lever's advisors have already been in discussions with Portsmouth City Council and plans to buy the club before September 9th, the day that Balram Chainrai has pencilled in for Portpin to take over.Of course, this all sounds bit too good to be true and it turns out that Lever's "proof of funds" comes in the way of a bridging loan facility from a sub lender, a loan that has 401 conditions attached to it.Lever's father, also heavily involved with development, was declared bankrupt in July whilst Lever himself was featured in an MTV show called "Living on the Edge" in 2007, a programme about glamourous teenagers.You can view Tom's profile from the show here. It's safe to say that after reading that, I'm not convinced that someone so young with this sort of attitude is the right man for the club. In fact, I'd rather have Chainrai in charge and that is saying something.That's not to say I'm not willing to listen to Lever, but this whole takeover situation reminds me of the whole Sulaiman Al-Fahim debacle, only at a much, much faster pace.Expect more on this story in the coming week.
