Tranmere Rovers are on the verge of being taken over by a former lawyer of Donald Trump, according to a report in the Mirror.
Joe Tacapino is a US lawyer who has previously represented the ex-president and Michael Jackson who has reportedly been inspired by the takeover at Wrexham.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have overseen the Red Dragons’ rise from the National League to League One and Tacapino is said to be looking to emulate their success at Prenton Park.
The report claims that the former New York prosecutor has been in discussions throughout the year about a takeover. Tacapino’s interest first became known when he attended a match in April.
Now, according to The Atheltic, the 58-year-old is awaiting regulatory approval from the English Football League (EFL) before the takeover is confirmed.
Rovers are currently owned by former player and Football Association chief executive Mark Palios and his wife Nicola. The couple have been owners of the club since 2014.
Their tenure now looks to be coming to an end with the Wirral club heading into American hands. Tacapino is an experienced football administrator, having been involved in a 2011 consortium that bought Italian giants AS Roma.
After selling the Rome club, he bought Bologna in 2014. He continued his Italian football journey when he purchased Venezia, helping the club climb two flights to the second tier of Italian football.
I’m 2021, he took control of SPAL but his time there was marred by a suspension due to missed tax payments.
The report claims that Tacapino intends to use his celebrity standing to draw attention to Tranmere in the way that McElhenney and Reynolds have done across the Welsh border.
Something else of great interest to fans of the Super White Army is the idea of moving away from Prenton Park should the takeover get the go-ahead.
Writer’s View
Such high-profile takeovers like this are always met with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Having watched the rise of Wrexham and the impact on that community, Tranmere fans will be hopeful that can be replicated at their club.
However, Tacapino has moved from club to club and the idea that the club may spend extravagantly only for him to walk away has to be a worry.
It will certainly be interesting to see the EFL’s decision and then what happens at Tranmere over the coming months.
