Ex-Manchester United chief Woodward pitched Eagle Soccer function

Ed Woodward, the previous Manchester United chief, has been approached about becoming a member of the automobile which owns stakes in golf equipment together with Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais.

Sky Information has learnt that Mr Woodward, who left Outdated Trafford in 2022, a 12 months after United’s involvement within the ill-fated European Tremendous League venture, is being lined up as an unbiased director of Eagle Soccer Holdings because it prepares to checklist within the US.

Sources mentioned on Thursday that it was not sure that Mr Woodward’s appointment would go forward, however confirmed that he had been approached about his first mainstream soccer directorship since ending his lengthy stint on the former Premier League champions.

Mr Woodward spent 17 years at Outdated Trafford, having performed a key function within the Glazer household’s debt-fuelled takeover of the membership in 2005.

Eagle Soccer, which is managed by the American businessman John Textor, is predicted to file confidentially with US regulators for an preliminary public providing within the subsequent fortnight.

The automobile owns a forty five% stake in Crystal Palace, which it has been making an attempt to promote for months however could now retain on account of the membership’s improved efficiency in English soccer’s high flight.

Final summer season, Sky Information revealed that Eagle Soccer had employed funding banks together with Stifel and TD Cowen to advise on the IPO, with Bloomberg Information including this week that UBS can also be engaged on the deal.

The Eagle Soccer board is known to have added Mr Textor’s former FuboTV colleague Alex Bafer, the Trilith Studios president and chief govt Frank Patterson and finance govt Sam Lynn as administrators in current weeks.

Its lenders are at the moment represented on the board, though these administrators are anticipated to step down within the occasion of the corporate turning into publicly traded.

If the IPO proceeds, Eagle Soccer is predicted to attempt to increase a number of hundred million {dollars} at a valuation of greater than $2bn.

The automobile additionally owns the Brazilian champions Botafogo, RW Molenbeek in Belgium and FC Florida.

Final 12 months, Mr Textor held talks about shopping for Everton FC, however was finally outbid by the AS Roma proprietor, Dan Friedkin.

Had he been profitable, Mr Textor would have needed to full the sale of his Palace stake beneath Premier League possession guidelines.

Raine Group, which dealt with the sale of Chelsea in 2022 and a minority stake in Manchester United to Sir Jim Ratcliffe the next 12 months, has been overseeing the potential disposal of Eagle Soccer’s Crystal Palace stake.

A variety of events have expressed severe curiosity, together with a gaggle suggested by the soccer financier Keith Harris.

Nonetheless, a transaction just isn’t regarded as imminent.

Up to now, Mr Textor has spoken about his perception that public possession of soccer groups offers followers with better transparency in regards to the operating of their golf equipment.

He has described this because the democratisation of possession – a problem more likely to be on the coronary heart of a invoice on soccer regulation when it’s reintroduced to parliament by the brand new Labour authorities.

If Eagle Soccer’s submitting with the US Securities and Change Fee proceeds within the coming weeks, its inventory can be anticipated to begin buying and selling a number of months later.

Mr Textor couldn’t be reached for remark, whereas Mr Woodward didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Thursday.