Dozy Mmobuosi takeover questions hang over Sheffield United

P roblem solving 100%, management 98%, decision making 99%, communication 99%. Who wouldn’t want an owner with this skillset? These are the attributes of the Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi as stated on his website, giving little margin for improvement.

The EFL, however, wanted more information from the prospective buyer of Sheffield United in a deal believed to be worth more than £100m. The Blades host Tottenham on Wednesday night in the FA Cup fifth round, a welcome distraction from off-field issues that threaten to overshadow a promising season. Last Saturday’s win over Watford after two straight defeats leaves them second in the Championship, seven points clear of Middlesbrough in third with a game in hand. Boosting that momentum with a Cup shock would be ideal for Paul Heckingbottom.

The owner, Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, has been keen to sell and brokered a deal with the American Henry Mauriss that fell through last year. It has since been reported that Mauriss is in prison for wire fraud. The club are under a transfer embargo over unpaid instalments on transfers, meaning they were unable to strengthen in January. Heckingbottom has spoken of being unable to make plans while the process is not complete. Mmobuosi has been built up as the next potential saviour.

Mmobuosi has agreed terms with Prince Abdullah and says he has paid a deposit but the EFL asked him and the club to answer further questions to enable it to decide whether to sanction the takeover. In a statement on 14 February the league said it had received “some evidence of source and sufficiency of funding” but that it had “raised a number of additional queries with the proposed purchaser and the club” and had been “awaiting a