Sidley represented Bilkul Football WBA, owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr. Kiran C. Patel, in its agreement to acquire West Bromwich Albion Football Club.
The takeover has been approved by the EFL, with Bilkul Football WBA acquiring an 87.8% shareholding in the football club’s parent company, West Bromwich Albion Group Limited. Shilen Patel has also been named Chairman of the football club.
Shilen Patel commented: “It’s been wonderful to work with a solutions-driven team at Sidley. The team worked ceaselessly to navigate a complex and time sensitive process with parties across the US, Europe and Asia. They were instrumental in getting the right deal done on time.”
The Sidley team was led by partners Adam Runcorn, Irwin Raij (M&A and Private Equity), and James Crooks (Global Finance). They were supported by a cross-border team including Andrew Cebula, Cyril Cutinha, Samuel Tee, Andrew Lecky, and Ling Chen (M&A and Private Equity); Pietro Fontana, James Snyder, Joe Patterson, Nils Gravenhorst, James Akinleye, and Esther Crang (Global Finance); Jason Menzies and Pranith Mehta (Tax); Jade Williams-Adedeji, Jo Bainton, and Yanaisha Sydamah (Real Estate); Andrew Fox (Litigation); Peter McCorkell and Alex Down (Employment); Francesca Blythe and Eleanor Dodding (Privacy); Patrick Harrison (Antitrust/Competition); Christopher Lock (Arbitration); Rachpal Thind, Tanaan Quek, Noel Li, and Chloe Francis (Banking); and E. Kyle Barnett and Tomide Owolabi (Technology and Life Sciences Transactions).
