Man behind Paul Stewart consortium looking to take over Blackpool FC from Owen Oyston revealed

Stewart, the former Blackpool star, confirmed to The Gazette on Sunday that he was fronting a group that had previous experience of football takeovers.

He said discussions were at a very “early and delicate” stage.

It has now been revealed by Press Association Sport that the firm behind Stewart’s bid is Charter House Corporate Partners, a London-based lending specialist Pritchard set up in 2016.

The 54-year-old has a long track record in football, having helped to finance takeovers at Bolton, Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as working with AFC Wimbledon on their new Plough Lane stadium.

Speaking to Press Association Sport, Pritchard said this particular takeover attempt "is in its infancy" and admitted he has been aware of several previous attempts to buy Blackpool from Owen Oyston.

But he said this consortium is "interesting because they have credibility, knowledge of the club and seem to have the ear of Valeri Belokon".

Belokon is crucial to any solution to Blackpool's problems, as he is still owed around £25million by Oyston, following their bitter legal dispute.

This has hugely complicated the situation at Blackpool but Pritchard believes there is a way out.

"They are not a lost cause at all - I have seen clubs in far worse financial positions," Pritchard said.

"Blackpool are worth £10-12million and there is no reason why it can't become a good investment, providing you get the gates back up again and you use the stadium and its hotel better, with concerts and other sports events.

"The key is to come up with a package that will give Belokon something up front but also an annual dividend going forward. I think he wants to stay involved with the club but not in a hands-on way and I suspect the EFL would allow that.

"I don't know if the deal will come off, Owen Oyston is still a factor, but I have provided the consortium with proof of funds and they are definitely talking to Belokon."

Speaking to The Gazette at the weekend following a report in The Mirror, Stewart confirmed he had been approached by a consortium of businessmen to lead their takeover bid.

“I’m not going to deny I’m involved,” Stewart admitted.

“This has gone on for a few weeks after meeting with the guys to establish who they are and if they are experienced in this sort of thing, which they are.

“I understand they came to me because they know about my connection to the town. I’ve lived here for 35 years and I have a strong connection to the place.

“I’ve obviously got an affiliation for the club too despite not going to games for a while due to the situation.

“If I can help make a change in anyway then I would love to be involved with that.

“My concern is how long it is until the club goes into administration, which is surely not appealing to anyone. Hopefully we can get around the table and stop that from happening.”

Stewart confirmed the group are looking to take control of the club and would not entertain the notion of Oyston remaining involved in any form.

“I would walk away from the deal if that were to happen,” he added. “We would be foolish to even entertain that.

“I have not talked to Owen about the deal and I do not expect to, either.

“I’ve spoken briefly to Blackpool Supporters’ Trust and I told them I hope they are able to get behind this.

“They have worked so hard to get to where they are and hopefully they will support this deal with the same energy to try and make a change.”

The Gazette columnist started his career at Bloomfield Road before going on to star for Manchester City, ­Tottenham, Liverpool, ­Sunderland and Stoke.

The 54-year-old, who played for Blackpool for seven years, still lives on the Fylde coast and has strong links to the area.

As expected, any deal is complicated by the 2017 High Court ruling which sees Oyston still owning more than £25m to former club director Belokon.

A three-day window for a court date has been agreed for next month to discuss the possibility of Belokon’s lawyers appointing a Court Receiver.

It is also claimed the group will offer Belokon the chance to stay on as an investor. Stewart confirmed to The Gazette that he would be willing to hold discussions.