EFL club told reason multiple takeover bids have failed by buyer who offered £9m

Mike Harris has claimed that Shrewsbury Town’s unrealistic price for the club’s worth has been the key behind their takeover struggles.

The New Saints owner was one of several parties interested in acquiring the League Two side prior to their relegation last year.

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Harris’ top-flight Welsh team is based in the Shropshire town of Oswestry – just 18 miles away from Gavin Cowan’s men.

The reigning Cymru Premier champions staged three Conference League matches at Salop’s Croud Meadow home in late 2024.

Around the same time that the shared space deal was announced, Shrews’ chairman Roland Wycherley put the Town up for sale.

Harris made a £5million offer to purchase 100 per cent of the club’s shares, alongside a £4m cash injection to enhance the infrastructure.

84-year-old Wycherley, who is now the EFL’s oldest owner, instead entered into exclusive dealings with an American businessman.

However, the proposed takeover collapsed in March 2025, days after ex-Shrewsbury boss Gareth Ainsworth walked out to join Gillingham.

Harris discusses failed Shrewsbury bid

Now 12 months on, Harris discussed whether he could reignite his interest in the Shrews while previewing his new self-titled documentary.

“I think it’s well documented I’ve made an interest in Shrewsbury Town,” he exclusively told talkSPORT.com.

“I don’t think the current chairman’s got any intention of selling at a realistic price of what a football club’s worth. I think he values it based on building land.

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“But anyway, I’ve got no disrespect to him,” Harris continued. “He’s a very successful chairman for Shrewsbury.

“He’s a very loyal fan of the club. He’s doing what he believes is best for the town.”

Shrewsbury have struggled back in League Two this season after their decade-long stint in the third tier was ended last year.

Michael Appleton was sacked as manager at the end of January after overseeing just five league wins from the first 27 matches this term.

His replacement, Gavin Cowan, took over with the club only two points above the bottom two but masterminded an upturn in form.

The 44-year-old won the League Two manager of the month award for February after a run of five straight wins.

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Shrewsbury Town takeover latest

That same month, Town chief executive Liam Dooley announced that financial losses were cut by over half after posting £1.55m losses.

And Shrewsbury also remain nine points clear of dropping out of the EFL despite suffering four defeats in their last five games.

Harris added to talkSPORT: “I’m pleased to see that they’ve turned their fortunes around a little bit over the past few weeks and have probably made themselves safe so they can compete again next season.

“Perhaps, in the future, the club may become available, but anybody who’s going to buy a club is only going to pay what it’s worth.

“They’re not going to pay something that it’s not worth.

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“So ultimately, there’s some people who may be foolish with their money, but I think that’s probably why most of the deals have broken down, the expectation of the selling price doesn’t fit what the buyer’s expectation is, so we’ll leave it at that for now.

“I wish Shrewsbury all the best, it’s a local side to me – It’s the first club I ever went to support.”

The Road to Europe – The Mike Harris Story is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.