Stewart Donald makes admission on Sunderland future as he weighs up next sale steps

Stewart Donald has said that he would like to stay at Sunderland even if he concludes a deal to sell the club.
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Thousands of fans had urged the Chairman to sell as the club dropped to its lowest-ever position earlier this season, after prominent fan groups launched an online protest at the club’s performance both on and off the pitch.

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In further comments on the sale process, Donald admitted that he hopes to keep a stake in the club either way.

“Would I like to retain a bit of a percentage to stay and enjoy the ride with everybody? Yes, because I absolutely love it,” he said.

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Donald is assessing his next steps as he weighs up the interest that has been registered.

He told talkSPORT that the interested parties were ‘pausing for breath’ in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sunderland Chairman Stewart DonaldSunderland Chairman Stewart Donald
Sunderland Chairman Stewart Donald
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He said: “I think the deal would probably have got done for the what would have been the end of the normal season.

“The people that we’re talking to, and there are still a couple of groups involved there, are I think pausing for breath to see how the virus and things pans out.”

Donald had also suggested that he believes the likely changed financial landscape in the game could it make it easier for the club to compete at a higher level under his ownership.

The EFL have been discussing and weighing up how best to respond to the crisis and have stressed the need for ‘long-term solutions’, with wage caps one of the measures discussed in some quarters.

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“I feel that actually, conversely, football is going to become easier to compete in so we're better placed than ever to do this journey that I envisaged doing,” Donald said.

“But from my perspective, I would much prefer to hold on to the club, deliver for the fans and hopefully we will become successful, and then we can talk to the guys who have invested since we've come in and ask if we can have a bit more firepower when we get to the Championship. That was the plan.

“It is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, but if people don't want you to do it, then your life is too short to be somewhere were people don't want you to be. It's obviously time to move on, but why would you want to.”

Donald currently holds a 74% stake in the club’s holding company, Madrox.

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Charlie Methven has 6%, with Juan Sartori holding the other 20%. It is not yet clear whether they will sell alongside Donald if a deal is concluded.

The £9 million cash injection from the FPP group would also need to be satisfied if Donald opts to sell to another party.