Joleon Lescott: Don't fear Albion takeover

Defender Joleon Lescott has urged Albion fans not to fear a foreign Hawthorns takeover.

The Baggies stopper says new owners can "only be good" for the club provided chairman Jeremy Peace finds buyers with Albion at heart.

Lescott was signed by Manchester City in the wake of Sheikh Mansour's takeover and went on to win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup.

Lescott said: "It didn't happen when I was at Everton or Wolves but then it was one of the main reasons that I went to Manchester City.

"The new chairman and owners came in and fought really hard for me to go there.

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"So I've been on that side of it and it can only be good for the club. If the right man comes and takes control then he's only going to have one interest and that is to firm up the club's ambitions and development.

"It doesn't always work out as well as the City takeover but I'd been working with them for a number of years and got to know them.

"They are world class businessmen, they are not stupid in what they do or their ambitions. It wasn't just a quick fix, it was longevity with regard to their goals and it is starting to come to fruition now with the new stadium and new training ground.

"I still live in the area and what they do for the community in the area is advanced. Not every club can have that ambition and that drive but it emanates from some of the stuff they create."

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Several foreign businessmen have expressed an interest in taking over from Peace with groups from the Far East and America currently examining the Baggies accounts before deciding whether to make a firm offer.

Peace is expected to hold out for more than £150m for his controlling stake in Albion but has told boss Tony Pulis he will call a halt to the search for a buyer if a sale is not well advanced by early June.