Andrew Barclay pulls out of Charlton takeover
Prospective Charlton Athletic owner Andrew Barclay has pulled out of the race to take over the London club.
Barclay had teamed up with former Addicks Chief Executive Peter Varney to strike a deal for the League One side before the start of the season on 12th September. However, he has been unable to agree terms with East Street Investments and Roland Duchatelet, the latter of which owns the The Valley and the training ground.
In a statement on Twitter, Andrew said: “Peter & I have worked hard to reach a deal over the last 6 months to resolve the CAFC situation. Valley & SL was key to our plans as Peter said, in order to construct a state of the art facility in order to double down & invest in academy / youth.
Peter & I have worked hard to reach a deal over the last 6 months to resolve the CAFC situation.
— Andrew Barclay (@andrewdbarclay) August 17, 2020
Valley & SL was key to our plans as Peter said, in order to construct a state of the art facility in order to double down & invest in academy / youth
“Unfortunately we weren’t able to make any headway with the owners of those assets despite our best efforts. On top of that, the risks around doing business with ESI has made it very difficult. I believe it’s best to step aside and let TS (Thomas Sandgaard, a Danish businessman who recently confirmed his interest in the club) have a go.
“We spoke not long ago and he seems to have a bigger apetite to take on the risks associated and therefore it’s best that he has a clear run at it. I wish him the best of luck with it as he is by far the best option.
“Lastly, PV (Peter Varney) deserves all the respect and applause he can get. From day 1, he worked on this project with me for FREE. There was nothing in it for him if we were successfully. Not a dime. He did this for the love of the club. TS should build a statue of PV if he gets control!”
In another social media statement, Peter Varney added that “If others can negotiate a deal with Roland and Panorama/ESI as they claim then the right thing to do is to step aside and allow that to happen.”
