"The most stable club in the country" - Simon Grayson speaks out on Preston North End takeover news | OneFootball

Simon Grayson has provided his verdict on the takeover discussions surrounding Preston North End, which appear to have stalled following reports of US-based interest.

According to The Lancashire Post, no progress has been made over a potential sale of the Championship club - that is despite two separate investor groups from across the Atlantic Ocean were linked with a potential purchase of the Lilywhites in recent weeks.

PNE have been a mainstay in the English second tier since gaining promotion from League One in 2015, which was won under the management of Grayson.

The Lancashire outfit finished 10th in the standings last season, with Ryan Lowe’s side missing out on a play-off place by 10 points, but have been one of the most stable and steady sides in the second tier for a long time now.

However, the ambition is to go to the next level at some point, and to do that, the Hemmings family that own the Lilywhites may have to sell the club to another group to fulfil that goal.

Trevor Hemmings took charge of North End in the summer of 2010, but following his passing in October 2021, his son Craig became chairman, with the ownership being under 'Wordon Limited' - essentially the Hemmings family.

A Miami-based investor was first linked with a takeover bid by Alan Nixon in April, before it was reported that a private equity firm from New York were also said to be weighing up a possible bid. However, it is believed that interest in the Lilywhites has cooled heading into the summer transfer window.

Simon Grayson's verdict on a potential Preston North End takeover

It was previously reported that both investors were also eyeing other clubs, so this could mean that they are moving on to different projects.

The Hemmings family remain open to a sale of the club if it is to the right buyer, and a price of £45 million was mooted when interest first surfaced in April.

Simon Grayson was in charge at PNE between 2013 and 2017 and has therefore worked closely with the family. He is full of praise for the stability they have brought to the club, and believes that they are only interested in selling to the right type of buyer.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World via freebets.com, Grayson said: "Well, I think first and foremost, the Hemmings family have been immense for the football club and the city.

"The money that they've put in and where it's been, and the gratitude that people should show them is up there because it's few and far between to have a club with very little debt in them right through the world of football.

"It will take a lot of due diligence to make sure it's the right owners that come in, and the right price for them. "It's alright people coming in and talking about having this amount of money, but how many times have people bought clubs and not invested in the right manner and taken them to the next level? "Preston is one of those clubs that has been linked with takeovers in the past and they've then not happened, because it hasn't been the right fit for them. "Craig and the rest of the family might think that at some point these are the right people, with the right money and backing to take the club forward, but for now that's one to keep an eye on.

"You just don't want it to go the other way from being a very stable football club, and probably the most stable club in the country, to one with more fluctuation and a lot of ambition about it, but carries no weight behind the back of it as well."

Preston North End's next move regarding potential takeover is massive

There is obvious stability and harmony at the club, which is a rare thing to have to such an extent, as Grayson alludes to; but the issue for PNE now is more about potential stagnation.

They have finished between seventh and 14th in the last nine seasons, and something is needed to take the club to that next level - which could well be investment and further funds to really kick on.

The Championship is littered with fallen giants and big ambitious names, but remaining stagnant can quite quickly turn into falling behind the competition. Preston North End are on the cusp of something, but risk the latter becoming a possibility in the not so distant future.