Former Nigeria international Victor Anichebe is leading a takeover bid for English Football League (EFL) division three club Bromley.
Anichebe, who featured for Everton and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, is spearheading discussions to buy the newly-promoted League One side in a major boardroom coup.
Bromley’s current majority owner Robin Stanton-Gleaves is locked in ongoing talks with the 38-year-old former Nigeria international.
The South London outfit are preparing for their first-ever season in English football’s third tier after two promotions in three years, and club bosses know they need a serious cash injection to compete at the higher level.
Anichebe spent over a decade plying his trade at the top level of English football. The powerhouse forward bagged 27 Premier League goals during top-flight spells with Everton, West Brom, and Sunderland.
Now, the former striker is making waves in the business world as owner of the Lumira Group. He recently backed a £20 million proposal for a massive new leisure development near Liverpool, proving funding will be no barrier as he looks to seal the Bromley deal.
Insiders believe Anichebe is already pulling strings on the club’s summer recruitment ahead of the proposed takeover. Bromley have signed former Luton frontman Victor Adeboyejo on a free transfer and snapped up Bolton centre-back Richard Taylor on a season-long loan deal.
Both summer recruits are of Nigerian descent, signaling Anichebe’s growing influence behind the scenes at Hayes Lane.
Anichebe made his first start for the Super Eagles in a friendly against Austria on May 27, 2008, before being replaced at half-time.
He scored his first and only goal for the Super Eagles in a 2011 friendly against Kenya, which ended 3-0, and recorded 11 appearances for Nigeria from 2008 to 2011.
Additionally, he was part of the U-23 Eagles squad that won silver in the football event at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games .