DELIA SMITH has claimed she would rather flog a star asset then sell out Norwich ‘to an Arab Sheikh or a Russian oligarch’.
Supercook Delia and her husband Michael Wynne Jones are on the verge of another Prem return with the Canaries four points clear at the top of the Championship.
Delia Smith would rather sell a star player than flog the club to ‘an Arab Sheikh or a Russian Oligarch’Credit: Reuters
Max Aarons has been catching the eye of Bayern MunichCredit: Rex Features
Last summer Norwich resisted Barcelona’s attempts to land right-back Max Aarons, persuading the talented youngster to stay at Carrow Road, although Bayern Munich are still keen.
But they did sell Ben Godfrey to Everton for £20m, while Jamal Lewis joined Newcastle for a similar fee.
And Smith conceded the club’s business model meant they would be willing to let others go for the right price rather than passing over the club to a new owner with a short-term vision and no personal interest in the Canaries.
She told the FT Business of Football Summit: “We really love the club and see our role as caretakers. And caretakers have to take care.
“This club is a precious thing, a community thing and if somebody made an offer we would ask the supporters.
“We really would like, if we could, to have a really healthy club that is going well in the Premier League without having to sell it, because it might go to someone who doesn’t care about it.
“Our formula is to bring through our youth players, under a manager who believes in youth players.
“We want to do it differently from an Arab Sheikh or a Russian oligarch. If you say that’s being Utopian, I will take that – I am Utopian.
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Several success stories have come from January transfers
“We’re really proud of James Maddison and Ben Godfrey. Their success is lovely for us. It’s what we do.
In the same way, Max is one of the best. He is going to be a tp player and not at Norwich. We know that we will lose him and he knows it.
“So of course we know we will have to sell and we would rather have £40m for Max than the money from a Sheikh or oligarch.
“And when he goes, you just need to have another one read. You might say it’s a case of ’here’s one I made earlier’.”
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Delia Smith asks for a twelfth man during rousing half time speech to lift Norwich fans against Man City in 2005
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
