Charlton takeover: Danish businessman Thomas Sandgaard claims he has bought club in latest twist

Signing off as ‘proud owner of CAFC’, Sandgaard wrote a letter to Charlton fans on social media

Charlton's ownership saga continues (Getty)

An American-Danish businessman, Thomas Sandgaard, claims to have completed a takeover of Charlton Athletic which he says will be ratified by the English Football League later on Friday.

Signing off as “proud owner of CAFC”, Sandgaard wrote a letter to Charlton fans on social media.

“Today is the day!" he said. "We did the impossible. We triumphed and we made it to this point because of you. Thank you for your passion, your perseverance, and your patience. There is no club without you. We are Charlton Athletic Football Club (CAFC).

"From early on I felt that we were in this together. I am humbled by your support and honoured to officially become part of the Charlton family. The Charlton community is one-of-a-kind. You welcomed and embraced this change of hands with more openness than many others would have given your history.

"Thank you for standing up for you what you believe in. I will not let you down. Cheers to each of you. Cheers to Charlton! I assure you we are just getting started. We are London’s Club.

“This week and every week we will #CheerForCharlton!”

Sandgaard describes himself on his website as "an American citizen, entrepreneur and inventor who was born in Denmark". He is the founder of Zynex, a company which specialises in the manufacture of medical devices. He says the purchase of Charlton has been made by his “wholly-owned entity, Clear Ocean Capital Limited". 

British businessman Paul Elliott had attempted to purchase Charlton this summer but the deal was blocked by the EFL. There remains a court case scheduled for November to resolve the ownership of East Street Investments, the company which bought Charlton from Belgian businessman Roland Duchatelet last year. 

Sandgaard also claims to have negotiated a 15-year lease on The Valley and the club’s training ground, owned by previous owner Duchatelet.