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Derby County chairman Adam Pearson today announced the GSE takeover, stating that the organisation's long-term goals were Premier League status and making the Rams a "global brand."

"This is a significant day in the history of this club and the takeover adds new financial firepower, underpinning a long-term plan to establish Derby County as a major player in the Premier League and as an international club brand," he said.

"The long-term aim is to establish the Derby County brand worldwide through successful alliances with sporting teams in the USA, Far East and other continents.

"The immediate aim, though, is to continue to build the infrastructure of the club at Pride Park and obviously develop a squad which, over the coming seasons, is renowned as a Premier League force.

"The turnaround in the fortunes of Aston Villa, with their American investment in squad and club infrastructure, is a key model we would like to emulate over the coming seasons."

GSE's chairman, Andy Appleby, is said to have funded the takeover with cash, as opposed to a structured debt deal.

The new board member, who is also invovled with NBA basketball team Detroit Pistons, said, "We are excited about the opportunity to make a significant impact at Derby County with our collective sports industry knowledge of best practices in management, sales and marketing.

"We have visited Derby County over the last six months and experienced a match day at Pride Park Stadium, where we were impressed with the incredible potential of the club and the loyalty of the fan base."

There will be a press conference at 2pm on Monday to further discuss the takeover.


source:goal.com