EXCLUSIVE: Mickey Mouse club - Disney in Derby takeover talks

13 April 2012

Basement team Derby really will become the "Mickey Mouse" side in the Premier League after it was revealed the Walt Disney family are in talks to buy the club.

New Derby chairman Adam Pearson has been in America this week negotiating a deal for a consortium of financial institutions headed by the Shamrock hedge fund to take a controlling shareholding in Pride Park with a view to full ownership.

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Shamrock Holdings are owned and run by billionaire Roy Disney, the nephew of Walt, and regarded as the protector of the Disney legacy.

After 50 years in the film business, he currently serves as consultant to the Disney organisation, where he holds the title of director emeritus to the board.

Roy E Disney, 77, is still the third largest individual stakeholder in Disney, owning 16million shares and is best known for orchestrating the sacking of chief executive Michael Eisner in 2005.

He uses Shamrock as his personal investment vehicle and the company, founded in 1978, have diverse global interests in telecommunications, hotels, radio and TV stations as well as real estate and private equity dealings.

If the deal goes ahead Derby would become the fourth Premier League club, after Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa, to come under American ownership.

Pearson, commercial director of Leeds before buying and selling Hull, recently made a £2.5million investment in Derby, where he has taken over as executive chairman from Peter Gadsby as well as buying most of his 25 per cent shareholding.

Gadsby has cited round-the-clock stress from overseeing relegation favourites Derby, and the need to spend more time on his property business, as reasons for taking a back seat.