Derby look like they maybe the next Premier League club to be taken over by American investors. Derby chairman, Adam Pearson has spent the last week in America talking to the Disney family (yep, as in Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse and all that sort of stuff). He was in negations with Walt's nephew, Roy about the possibility of investing in the Premier League strugglers.Roy Disney is the owner of Shamrock Holdings (the company in which Adam Pearson is talking to). After 50 years in the film business, he currently serves as consultant to the Disney organisation, where he holds the title of director emeritus to the board.
Roy E Disney, 77, is still the third largest individual stakeholder in Disney, owning 16million shares and is best known for orchestrating the sacking of chief executive Michael Eisner in 2005. He uses Shamrock as his personal investment vehicle and the company, founded in 1978, have diverse global interests in telecommunications, hotels, radio and TV stations as well as real estate and private equity dealings.
Disney is likely to remain in the background, kind of like the way Malcom Glazer is doing at Man United, with Pearson remaining in day-to-charge at Pride Park. It will be very interesting to see how this story develops over the coming weeks and months and I'm sure a lot of Derby fans will want to get the money from the potential investors in soon if they are to have any hope of surviving in the Premier League.
