Lloyd talks up interest in Pompey

Lloyd talks up interest in Pompey

Published Mar. 14, 2010 4:41 p.m. ET

And Lloyd, whom the Sunday Telegraph revealed is fronting the consortium, is confident the investor will pass the Premier League's fit and proper persons' test. It has been reported Lloyd - who appeared on the Channel 4 programme Secret Millionaire in 2008 - will enter into confidential and exclusive arrangements with Portsmouth administrator Andrew Andronikou on Monday ahead of a potential £30million buy-out, although Andronikou revealed the pair have not yet spoken. Lloyd, who met with supporters' groups on Sunday, told Sky Sports News: "It is certainly genuine. "I certainly wouldn't have spent my Sunday coming down here and wasting all the time. "I have got more things than nuts and fruit cake on at the moment with my own company. "There is a substantial investor involved here." Asked if the investor would pass the fit and proper persons' test, Lloyd said: "There have been issues before. "Certainly knowing the investor involved, he would tick all the boxes. He's very substantial. And I think he would be good for the club." Lloyd pointed out, though, that there was still a long way to go in the process. "We've got to conclude the deal first of all," he added. "I'm not making false promises. "We're at early stages, there's a lot to do, there's a lot to do in 14 days. "There are going to be a lot of sleepless nights. But Let's get to first base initially." He added: "This is not a short-term fix, you can see this club is absolutely on its knees. The fans and other people associated with the club have been hugely let down. "This isn't going to be fixed overnight. There's no question, no doubt in my mind this is going to take years. And it's baby steps, it's building the blocks, it's building the foundations and making this club into a successful clubs." Andronikou expressed his surprise that news of Lloyd's interest had been made public even before any official approach had been made. The administrator said he had yet to be contacted. "I find it really strange he has taken this route," he said. "I want to hear from him as I have not actually spoken to him at all. "I am waiting for his phone call." Andronikou said once Tuesday's court hearing to finally clear up Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs challenge to the validity of Portsmouth's administration - which he claimed would be "straightforward" - had been dealt with he would then set up a meeting with Premier League officials later in the week. HMRC accepted the club's move into administration on Thursday, meaning Pompey now face a nine point deduction from the Premier League.

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