This was after the return, when they were paying rent. The trick was the council engineering a return with a belief that there was an opportunity to buy, whilst being in advanced position with Wasps.
In terms of making my mind up, I am actually pretty ambivalent about who owns the stadium. If it’s not the football club, then just having decent landlords who maintain the stadium ( as required by the legal charge supporting the bonds security) and providing an adequate playing surface (something like League 1 Burton Albion’s would do for now).
BTW, I don’t know if you noticed in the EFL statement but the independent agronomist report suggests that the pitch in its current state would be unsafe for match officials. They don’t roll around much unless Paolo Di Canio is involved.
IF it really is unsafe for football match officials, it is unlikely to be safe for rugby players either.