STEVE GIBSON, the Middlesbrough chairman and owner, has rubbished reports claiming he’s about to become a tax exile and put the club up for sale.
Gareth Southgate returned to his desk last Monday following a short break and has predicted there will be a lot of business at the Riverside over the next few weeks.
But the sale of the club is not on the agenda.
Reports said that Gibson had decided to become a tax exile in Guernsey and was willing to sell the club he rescued from liquidation in 1986.
As a tax exile he could only spend a maximum of 90 days per year in the UK and would therefore not be in a position to continue his hands on running of the club, the report suggested.
But Gibson has denied he has any plans to either sell the club or relocate.
“This report is totally inaccurate,”
said Gibson. “The club is not for sale. I’m absolutely committed to Middlesbrough Football Club and I’m going to stay with the club. The fans can ignore this silly report.
“I’ve made that absolutely clear in the recent past. My sole focus for Middlesbrough Football Club is getting us back in the Premier League.
That’s what were all working towards and we believe we can do it.”
Should Gibson choose to become a tax exile it’s not thought it would have any significant impact on his involvement at the club as Keith Lamb, the chief executive is in charge of day-to-day affairs.
And he echoed the owner’s comments.
“Steve and I have gone to extraordinary lengths recently to make it clear to the media that the club is not for sale and never has been. Steve’s commitment remains as strong as ever,” said lamb.
“We would not normally react to what has become known as football’s silly season but this is so wide of the mark it’s important Boro fans know that Steve’s loyalty to the club has never wavered.”
Southgate, meanwhile, has reassured fans he is working hard to build a squad capable of securing promotion next season but warned not all reported transfer targets are accurate.
“Our supporters have to realise that there will be loads of speculative stories appearing in the press over the summer, either linking us with players or suggesting which clubs might be interested in our players,’’ said Southgate.
“Some of those stories will have an element of truth about them, some of them will be close to the mark, and some will be neither and have no truth in them at all. I accept that the way it will be and it’s important that the fans understand that that will happen too, as it always does.
“I don’t want to spend the whole of the summer denying or confirming reports, rumours and speculation.
“I think that would be counterproductive.
I will try to keep the deals that I want to do as close to my chest as I can. Then, if and when we complete a deal and sign a player, we will confirm it and tell the press and more importantly our supporters.
“I would expect things to be busy. I have players who have Premier League experience who will obviously interest other clubs, there are those that we will have difficulty hanging on to and there are some that I am keen to ensure stay with us and who are fully committed to the challenge ahead.
“At the same time, we will have to replace those players who do leave. I’m looking to bring in players who have a hunger for the challenge.
That word ‘hunger’ is a key element to what I’m looking for in all my players, whether they are already here or players we are looking to sign.
“We’re working hard behind the scenes to make things happen. There’s lots of influencing factors, of course, but we know where we are going and what we want to achieve. We have to try to put together a squad that can help us win promotion. That’s what we’re focused on.”
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