Pundit makes key claim on Sunderland’s ownership situation

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the atmosphere at League One side Sunderland will worsen if they fail to be transparent about who owns what stake in the club, speaking in an interview with Football Insider.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus took stewardship of the Black Cats back in February last year, purchasing a majority share in the club to take over from previous owner Stewart Donald, though it was known back then that the latter maintains a minor stake at the Stadium of Light, along with Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori.

However, it’s currently unclear as to what percentage the trio owns still, a question that came to the fore when Methven came to the third-tier side’s midweek clash against Cheltenham Town.

The following morning, the Red and White Army group revealed they have a meeting with the club on Wednesday and wanted to discuss numerous off-field issues, including who owns what percentage of the club.

Alex Neil may have been appointed as their new manager on Friday – but this isn’t going to silence the fan group who believe there are numerous problems that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Pundit Maguire believes the share percentage question will be particularly difficult for the League One outfit if the hierarchy doesn’t reveal these details.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “I think the club haven’t disclosed the information because they feel uncomfortable.

“They don’t want the fans to find out the exact nature of the relationship between Louis-Dreyfus, Charlie Methven and Stewart Donald.

“Why would Methven, who is not a Sunderland fan, still be there unless he had some form of relationship with the club?

“I think Sunderland are in danger of returning to a toxic relationship between the