Sheffield United's would-be new owner's company prepares for key presentation, as fresh talks emerge
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The Star understands that Mmobuosi and United’s current owner, Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, held a fresh round of talks about the 43-year-old’s attempted purchase of the Championship club last week. The two men are already believed to have agreed a price for United, with the English Football League now in the process of scrutinising the answers to several queries its experts raised about Mmobuosi’s potential acquisition.
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A number of leading figures from the Tingo Group, including chief executive officer Darren Mercer, representatives of Tingo Mobile, group chief financial officer Kevin Chen and Mmobuosi himself are scheduled to begin speaking to investors at around 1pm UK time. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
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Hide AdAlthough it is not directly linked to events at United, who are still awaiting news of the EFL’s decision, Mmobuosi will hope the details which emerge will lend further weight to both his candidacy and proposals at Bramall Lane, where Paul Heckingbottom’s team have climbed to second in the table ahead of Saturday’s visit to Norwich City. Also preparing for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, which is scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium next month, that progress on the pitch has been achieved despite a number of challenges off it, including a transfer embargo which was imposed when the EFL discovered United had missed repayments relating to previous deals. However, their CEO Stephen Bettis recently told representatives of the local media that claims administration is now a very real prospect were “ludicrous” - even going as far as to describe them as “b******t”.
Mmobuosi remains committed to buying Prince Abdullah’s stake, despite the protracted nature of the EFL’s investigation. He has told officials there that he is ready to answer any further questions they might have regarding his latest submissions, despite being confident they cover all the points previously raised and which were outlined in a statement published over a month ago.
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Toby Perkins MP, the member of parliament for Chesterfield and a well-known United supporter, has also met with Mmobuosi to find out about some of the plans he will implement if the governing body grants its approval. Confirming he was simply acting in a purely individual capacity and not as a “cheerleader” for any bid, Perkins admitted to being “encouraged” by some of the things Mmobuosi had to say before stressing the EFL must be allowed to complete its process unhindered.
“One of the things I spoke to Dozy about was how he viewed his role at the club and the football expertise he told me he wants to bring in with him,” Perkins said. “The EFL is doing what it has to do, and that is for the EFL and no one else. I was simply interested in what he (Mmobuosi) had to say.”