Kirchner: ‘Probably the most difficult deal I’ve tried to do’

PROSPECTIVE Derby County owner Chris Kirchner admits a deal to buy the club has given him “a lot of sleepiness nights” as he explained the situation regarding the club’s stadium, which is the “biggest hurdle” to a takeover.

The American businessman opened up on his efforts to take control at Pride Park in an interview to Ramstv.

Asked about Pride Park, Kirchner said: “It is just the way the entities under the previous owner were tied together.

“The stadium and the rights to that stadium are intertwined for a lot of those. Without getting too detailed or too complex, and obviously to have a club and to have a deal officially approved by the EFL you have to have a lease or own a ground.

“You have to have somewhere to play and so for all those reasons it’s tied in. Because it is not part of the administration it has added a layer of complexity in trying to get this deal done because of the different parties that have to make decisions on it.”

On the deal itself, Kirchner said: “It has been a lot of sleepless nights, the stress of getting it done.

“It is probably one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult deal I have ever tried to do in business for a wide array of reasons.

“In terms of where we are right now, I wouldn’t be here if we weren’t close. The EFL process, there is a little bit of things may be around the business plan for the next year we need to do but that is really it in that process.

“I think they (the EFL) have put out a statement reflecting some of that, and then it just comes down to the stadium.”