KYRIL IS ENTICED TO GET THE CATS PURRING
NEW Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus says he intends to usher in an “exciting new chapter” on Wearside.
Louis-Dreyfus is the son of former Marseille owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who left behind a £5bn fortune when he died in 2009.
At 23, he became the youngest chairman in the EFL when he completed his purchase of the club from Stewart Donald this week.
Donald will retain a minority shareholding in the League One side, along with outgoing director Charlie Methven and Uruguayan businessman Juan Sartori, who initially fronted the deal.
“I am proud to become a custodian of this esteemed institution,” said Louis-Dreyfus.
“But I also recognise the significant responsibility that comes with it. Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter in Sunderland AFC’s history and although the current landscape facing football dictates that there are challenges to overcome, I am confident that together we can weather the present storm and put solid foundations in place.”
Manager Lee Johnson, whose side began the weekend in seventh, added: “Kyril is very bright, he’s intelligent and he’s got good ideas. I’m very, very confident in his motives, and I’m very confident in his ideas.
“He’s got experience as well, and his experiences remind me a little bit of my own as a player and then a manager. I had a front-row seat to be able to see my dad managing while I was growing up, and he’s obviously had that with his family and their ownership of Olympique Marseille
“Every contact I have with Kyril really impresses me more and more, and I think he’s got a sound board behind him as well.”