Shrewsbury takeover advances as Scottish FA approves dual club interests

The American consortium seeking to buy Shrewsbury Town has cleared another regulatory hurdle after the Scottish Football Association approved its members' interests in both the English club and Spartans. BBC Sport reported the development on October 6, while Spartans confirmed the decision in a club statement published the same day. The proposed sale remains unfinished.

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Spartans said the approval covers the dual interests created by the acquisition, together with the appointment of Scott Davidson, Will Dotson and Craig Graham as directors of both clubs. Davidson is the lead shareholder at Spartans. The Scottish club said most of the acquisition's regulatory requirements had now been addressed and promised further information when it could provide it.

According to BBC Sport, Davidson is the majority shareholder at the Scottish League Two side, where Dotson and Graham are also involved. Former Liverpool, Tottenham and Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel is another member of the group pursuing Shrewsbury. The consortium had already satisfied due-diligence and financial checks imposed by the English Football League and the Independent Football Regulator before receiving the Scottish approval.

The latest decision follows a lengthy effort to find a buyer for Shrewsbury. Chairman Roland Wycherley put the club on the market in 2024, but earlier negotiations did not result in a sale. BBC Sport reported that talks with one American buyer broke down in March 2025, followed six months later by the collapse of a separate bid from another interested party.

Discussions involving Davidson's consortium have been under way for six months, with hopes that the transaction can be completed before Christmas, according to the BBC report. That remains an ambition rather than a confirmed completion date. Spartans' announcement concerned regulatory progress and did not announce that ownership of Shrewsbury had changed hands.

A completed sale would end Wycherley's 30 years as Shrewsbury's owner. The 85-year-old has also urged patience for the period after any handover, drawing on his own experience running the club. On the pitch, Shrewsbury were 14th in League Two at the time of the BBC report, with three wins from their opening nine matches.