Wasps had identified major issues at the stadium meaning it needed (at Least £20m) spending on it. That is why he got it so cheap.
This was reported by some of the SBT, but I don't think we ever saw anything publicaly referenced about it - Where has the figure come from and what's the issues at the Stadium?
Wasps had approached the council for a grant to undertake the work, as they were the owners. The council responded saying it was the responsibility of the tenants (leaseholders) to fix any issues. It was one of many reasons it all folded like a house of cards.
MA would know all this, and thus knew the stadium was worth so little.
The thing is this. Mike Ashley likely doesn't care if any sport is being played. He can hire out the rooms, the hotel brings in money, the casino could be expanded (in to the space that was the 'clubhouse').
He can cover the pitch over and make it a permanent open venue for concerts and monster truck rallies. Fact is, I doubt he cares one jot about CCFC. If they want to play there, he might simply say, sell me the club for £1 and YOU clear all debts before you sell it to me. Otherwise, stop bothering me and go play somewhere else. My toys, my rules.
It's a hard world out there. No more Mr Nice guy that they had with Wasps.
Would the council let him knock it down? Why should they care? The stadium owes them little or nothing. Tescos and the EU paid for most of it, and the rest of the debt the Wasps bond holders paid off. Not being used, it brings little to the city. Knocked down and converted to his HQ would bring hundreds of jobs that otherwise were going to Warwickshire. Not used as a Stadium, means the rest of the land could also be used as something other than a car park or waste land.
Always a Wasp
