Kompany buyout? STUART BRENNAN
City skipper’s links to consortium which is bidding to take over Stockport County
VINCENT Kompany is involved in a bid to take over Stockport County.
The City skipper is associated with a Belgian entrepreneur who is behind one of two bids seeking to revive the fortunes of the National League North club.
It is thought Kompany has not taken an active part in the proposed takeover, which has been discussed by both the club’s shareholders and football board at a meeting.
Kompany is said to be focused entirely on his playing career and does not want any distractions. He is currently with the Belgium squad preparing for the World Cup.
But he has been putting the feelers out regarding various businesses, including the consortium headed by Belgian busi- nessman and former classical pianist Klaas Gaublomme, which wants to take over County.
Kompany graduated from Manchester Business School with a Masters degree in business administration last year.
He said at the time: “Although I want to continue playing football as long as possible, I may look to use this combination of academic learning and years of playing experience in the future.”
He opened two sports bars in Belgium in 2014 under the name Good Kompany, but both closed within a year of opening.
Kompany is also a partner with Gaublomme, who made his name in the music and entertainment business, in a Manchester-based management consultancy called Football Centrix.
County bosses and the bidders are staying tightlipped. ● Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany
The bid associated with Kompany was made late last year and the other has been on the table much longer.
County have been in the sixth tier of English football since 2013, after a dramatic decline from reaching the lofty heights of the First Division – now the Championship – in 1997.
At that level they are seen as a sleeping giant, averaging crowds of 3,500.
The club is currently owned by various shareholders. Both bids are understood to be seeking 51 per cent of the shares.
County said in a statement: “Regardless of any external interest in the football club, the current board of directors, the staff and the management team have taken a pragmatic ‘ business as usual’ approach, and we continue to plan for the new season.”