Fresh Shrewsbury Town takeover update emerges - It's not what supporters would've hoped for | OneFootball

Shrewsbury Town's potential takeover has taken a turn for the worse.

After what has been a pretty miserable week for Shrewsbury Town supporters, the latest takeover update will rub salt into the already painful wounds.

Last week was a nightmare for the Shropshire outfit, as they unexpectedly found themselves in the hunt for a new head coach when Gareth Ainsworth opted to depart Croud Meadow in favour of joining League Two Gillingham.

After a 4-1 loss at the hands of Birmingham City on Saturday, journalist Alan Nixon has now reported via his Patreon page that an expected takeover of Shrewsbury looks set to fall through.

The American group has reportedly pulled away from the deal, and the timing of this news suggests this could've been a factor in Ainsworth's decision to depart.

The talk of a takeover has been going on for a long time in Shropshire, with the club having a lengthy period of exclusivity with an American party which began in November 2024.

Sadly, the latest report suggests that the deal looks dead in the water, following the collapse of talks with the Americans.

The period of exclusivity was due to end on Monday 31 March, but Nixon has reported that the potential buyers have now backed away from the deal, sending Roland Wycherley back to square one in his quest to sell the club.

To add insult to injury, it's been suggested by Nixon that the current owners may hold off on selling the club until their fate in League One is sealed.

Salop sit at the bottom of the table and are 14 points adrift of safety with eight games to play. Michael Appleton would have to perform the greatest of escapes to somehow keep Shrewsbury up this season.

With League Two football looking all but confirmed for the club next season, the current ownership group are reportedly waiting until their relegation is officially confirmed before selling, as it could see the club available for a reduced price, which will attract potential buyers.

Takeover revelation could have impacted Gareth Ainsworth's decision

Shrewsbury supporters were left in uproar during the week, as seemingly from out of nowhere, popular head coach Ainsworth and his assistant Richard Dobson departed the club for struggling League Two outfit, Gillingham.

The pair spoke about their love for the location and the football club, so the sudden departure left fans stunned.

An open letter from Wycherley told the story of how the departure went, with both the head coach and his assistant reportedly keen to leave immediately. Given Ainsworth's reputation for remaining loyal during his time at Wycombe Wanderers, this revelation came as a huge shock.

Around the same time the former Queens Park Rangers boss was appointed at Croud Meadow, the club had entered their period of exclusivity with their potential buyers. It begs the question now this new information has come to light whether the 51-year-old was promised a takeover when he took the Shrewsbury job, but the ownership has failed to deliver on that.

When you think about Ainsworth's reputation, particularly at Wycombe where he turned down opportunities to remain with the club, the fact he opted to join a club in the division below just five months into a long-term project does suggest there could've been some disagreement between the ownership and the management behind the scenes.