SAM Allardyce has urged his Blackburn Rovers side to ignore any ‘off-the-field distractions’ as he looks for them to defy the financial odds at big-spending Manchester City.
The Rovers boss fears the ongoing takeover saga at Ewood Park has inevitably distracted minds over the past few weeks but insists all they can focus on is results on the pitch.
Ahsan Ali Syed, the Indian tycoon bidding to buy Blackburn Rovers, told the Lancashire Telegraph yesterday the process was still ongoing despite fears of the contrary being raised in some quarters.
His bid has been shrouded in uncertainty ever since allegations made by the BBC last weekend but, despite being unable to comment on the process specifically, his representatives have moved to deny reports chances of a deal were ‘dead’.
A spokesperson from Western Gulf Advisory’s PR firm Citigate Dewe Rogerson said: “With this specific rumour, it is entirely untrue and the process is ongoing.”
Mr Ali Syed’s one-month period of exclusivity expires on Monday but the Lancashire Telegraph understand the date is not too significant and talks are likely to continue after that.
The head of Western Gulf Advisory is still carrying out his own due diligence into Blackburn Rovers while the club carry on with their checks into his own financial situation.
The Premier League will only be called into action to carry out their ‘fit and proper test’ once a deal has been struck by both parties, although it is understood the club and the league are already in close contact.
The ‘fit and proper test’ would take 10 days to conclude and would involve the Premier League carrying out their own investigations into the buyer’s finances and whether he has sufficient funds to pay the bills and sustain the club for the next year.
Mr Ali Syed is not the only interested party though, with talks ongoing with several other potential bidders, and Allardyce insists it is time to focus at the City of Manchester Stadium tomorrow.
He said: “It can’t help but distract you when you are talking about someone buying your football club. There is always slight apprehension about them.
“It is a difficult period and a difficult transition for everyone to get to grips with. Coming towards the end of the window made it a bigger distraction than it needed to be.
“We have to wait and see what happens. We just have to wait and see and my main objective is to concentrate on the players picking up more points than they have at the moment.
“We have to keep the performances going because they are very, very good but stop throwing points away like we have done in the last few games.”
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