Oasis star hails Man City buy-out
Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher said the sale of his beloved Manchester City FC has finally repaid his 40-year loyalty to the club.
The singer approves of the deal, which will see the club taken over by an Abu Dhabi-based company. It is currently in the hands of former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Gallagher, whose group is currently touring Canada, found out about the sale after receiving urgent texts from friends in the UK.
He told BBC Radio Five: “They were telling me to put on the news, we’ve been bought by some Arab prince.
“I was laughing at first, thinking ’I can’t quite believe it’, and just before we went on stage I found out we’ve signed Robinho.
“I can only assume they’ve offered him a fortune because there is no other reason he’d come to City from Real Madrid – we’re not even in the Champions League.”
Brazilian forward Robinho had been expected to join Chelsea after making public his wish to leave Real Madrid but was snapped up by City.
Gallagher, who was raised in Burnage, Manchester, added: “I’m also pleased we’ve managed to swindle Man United out of a few bob as they’ve had to pay over the odds for Berbatov.
“It’ll be nice to know that every gallon of petrol a Manchester United fan buys is going into our kitty.”
Dimitar Berbatov, 27, left Tottenham Hotspur to join United despite Manchester City making a higher bid.
Gallagher also said he believes no amount of money would persuade Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to switch to City, despite the rumoured £135m bid made for him.
He said: “The last place in the world he is going to come to is here.”
Gallagher said he fears the expensive signings the club is expected to make will limit the chance of youngsters getting into the side, but admitted: “I can’t see any downside to this to be honest.”
He also offered the services of his band, whose string of hits includes the song 'Wonderwall'.
He said: “I’m available for any after-show parties they want me to play at if they’re throwing that kind of money around.
“I always kind of knew that 40 years of loyalty would be repaid somehow and I always knew that a day would come when we stagger everyone in football.
“But I’ve got to say I didn’t think it would be like this.”
Subject to due diligence, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) will be the new majority shareholder in City after the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the change of ownership.
Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the owner-elect of Manchester City, expects his group’s takeover of the club to have the same impact as Roman Abramovich’s buy-out of Chelsea five years ago.
Dr Al-Fahim told Gulf News: “The acquisition will help the Abu Dhabi brand name and allow talented UAE players to play in the Premier League and get access to all the world-class opportunities that exist.”
