Well, it is perhaps a little premature to suggest as such, but the gossip mill is working overtime at the moment and here is my take on what is going on. What we do know is that Marcus Evans is NOT keen to sell Ipswich Town football club. His enterprises outside of football have been haemorrhaging money since the Covid pandemic kicked-in, and for a few months now, he has been looking at ways of enticing potential buyers. He wants to see what’s out there, by dangling the odd financial carrot. His formula for success – or at least minimal failure, is to write off the clubs 97.4 million pound debt. It would however be with great reluctance if he was to sell the club that he has invested so much time and money in. His five-point plan would be in ruins and he would have to accept that he has failed miserably. This is not in his DNA so be warned!
It has not been a case of bees around the honey pot exactly either, but it has attracted some interest. Today we discovered that an American based consortium was angling for a deal. Brett Johnson is the name on everyone’s lips at the moment because he is the leading player. He is the founder and partner of real estate company Fortuitous Partners, which focuses on investments in sports entertainment, retail, food and hotels but there is more we might want to know. Apart from football, the company holds investments in “Michelin-quality” coffee company Coco Safar, international social enterprise TerraCycle, crowdfunding business GVNG and digital streaming service Bingeable Network. Johnson is also the CEO of alternative investment firm Benevolent Capital, and he is said to be an avid Chelsea fan. It looks like Evans, Johnson and Ed Sheeran’s dad all have something in common then, but it might not be Ipswich Town football club!
Back to the beautiful game for a moment, and I don’t think we will see wholesale changes on the field tomorrow – although of course off it, literally, anything could happen! Paul Lambert will resume his place in the dugout for the game against Doncaster and carry on as if nothing has happened. This is the Lambert way. He has been through all of this kind of thing before and is clearly not fussed by all the media activity. A club spokesman revealed that Evans is not actively looking to sell the club and remains fully focused on taking Ipswich Town back to the Championship. “He will obviously review credible buyers that would provide sustainable long-term investment, but this is not something uppermost in his mind.”
Town will play with Tomas Holy in goal and James Wilson and Toto Nsiala in central defence. Myles Kenlock and Luke Chambers will probably fill the other defensive berths. if there are to be any changes, then it is probably in midfield – where there might be a place for Josh Harrop or Gwion Edwards from the start. What goes on off the field tomorrow might be just as interesting as what goes on it. One thing I do know is that another win would do wonders for team morale and draw us ever closer to those elusive play-off places.
