IN-DEPTH NEWS

Bradley: “The will is there”

Warren Bradley, the current Leader of Liverpool City Council, says that he is "supremely confident" that there is a way to keep Everton FC in the city and claims that there are already interested commercial partners who could make that dream a reality.

Speaking on Radio Merseyside, Councillor Bradley rejected the "Chinese whispers that are going around the city" that the local authority were not doing enough to keep the club in Liverpool and claimed that that potential commercial partners are interested in the prospect of building a second major stadium in the city to rival Liverpool FC's proposed Stanley Park development.

Bradley said that four viable sites, all within the boundaries of Liverpool, had been identified: two at the Liver Industrial Estate and one closer to the City centre at the Tunnel Trumpet site on Scotland Road. Bradley claims that a commercial partner is already firmly interested in the latter site (which tallies with information received by ToffeeWeb two weeks ago). The fourth option was redevelopment of Goodison Park.

The Councillor also hinted that based on "informal dialogue" with Board members at Everton, he believed a will was also present at Goodison to keep the club in the city.

Bradley's comments come on the day that Everton unveiled the first artist's impressions of the proposed "Kirkby Project." The computer renderings feature a four-sided structure lit by floodlights and search-lights, and featuring open corners. Initial reactions by fans have been mixed.

Everton CEO Keith Wyness was also interviewed by Radio Merseyside this evening and he again pointed out what the club sees as the major benefits of Kirkby, namely its unique package of land, funding and retail tie-in which would make the project "deliverable."