DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE FLOWERY, GIRLIE LOOK

….. SHE’S ALL BUSINESS!

  • We all know that The Tweedles have hired Barclays Capital to look for potential buyers.
  • What most of us don’t know is how important a manoeuvre this may well be because of a certain Amanda Staveley.
  • Born to a rich landowner, she then studied Modern Languages at Cambridge before dropping out to become a business entrepreneur.
  • She was initially successful as a businesswoman buying a restaurant called Stocks in Cambridge and then founding a business out-sourcing company called Q.ton.
  • However, after the dotcom boom took a beating, the business went bust after a merger and Staveley’s business career seemed to be over before she was even in her thirties.
  • Stubborn, dogged Staveley ‘s next move was to relocate to Dubai to regroup in 2001 where she set up a firm called PCP Capital Partners.
  • Over the past 10 years she has amalgamated the best contact list in the Middle East of any Western businesswoman.
  • She became good friends with one of the richest members of the Abu Dhabi Royal family Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and was instrumental in the Sheik’s takeover of Manchester City.
  • She was paid a £10million commission for her services but the interest for us Reds doesn’t end here as Staveley also has some fantastic connections in the City, including a top banker at Barclays; they combined to help bail out Barclays Bank when the recession hit in 2008.
  • Rather than be bailed out by the taxpayers, Staveley got Sheikh Mansour to buy 16% of Barclays at the cost of £3.5billion while her Barclays banker partner got the Qatari government to invest to shore up the bank.
  • She was given £40million personally for her involvement in the deal and her personal wealth now stands at over £100million.
  • She still works incredibly hard at her work though and it is said that she turned down a marriage proposal from Duke of York Prince Andrew to focus on her business.
  • Her friends include people such as Simon Cowell but she is seen to be an incredibly down to earth person, no doubt down to her previous failings in business a decade ago.
  • Her connections in the Middle East no doubt mean her services will be utilised again by Barclays Capital in the sale of our glorious club.
  • Both her previous involvement in football takeovers and her contacts with rich investors in the Middle East mean her participation will be essential.
  • A little known fact is that Staveley has previously been involved with a takeover of LFC, fronting DIC’s bid for the club,  so the omens look pretty good that she will find a potential investor this time.
  • A Sheik from the Middle East could well be coming to Merseyside if all goes to plan.