SAFC takeover edges nearer as Louis-Dreyfus makes Wearside trip
Lee Johnson says Sunderland fans should ‘get used’ to seeing Kyril Louis-Dreyfus – having offered a promising update on the takeover of the club.
The 23-year-old was spotted at the Black Cats’ defeat at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening and is understood to be on Wearside this week as he moves towards a deal.
Louis-Dreyfus, whose family are worth upwards of $6billion, will be appointed as the club’s new chairman if a deal is sanctioned.
And the Sunderland head coach believes that will soon become the normality as Louis-Dreyfus moves closer to obtaining a controlling stake in the club from Stewart Donald.
The deal is still going through EFL checks, but Johnson says the noises he are hearing suggests it is 'as close as it can get.’
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Johnson said: “I’ll be honest, I haven’t had any conversations with the chairman [Donald] in a while. Obviously, people will have seen Kyril at the latest game.
"That was quite well documented and I expect us to get used to having him around the place, seeing his face and introducing his style from the top.
“At the same time, I can’t give you any definitive timescale or chronological order of when that may happen or when it may not.”
“Everything I hear is that it’s really, really close – about as close as it can get,” he continued.
"But at the same time this is football, isn’t it?
"I wouldn’t go live with the story just yet because I wouldn’t want you to look silly.
When quizzed on how he has dealt with the takeover speculation, Johnson added: “I know I can ask the question and the question will be answered to the best of people’s knowledge.
"I think that it’s about managing the people, the press because it’s a big story, the uncertainty within the squad and players as well.
"Whether that’s the salary cap or new ownership, you want to be as honest as you can with the squad.
"But at the same time, your focus needs to be on the performance on the match day and trying to get results.”
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