Brad Friedel Named Shrewsbury Town Sporting Director After Takeover
Brad Friedel is Shrewsbury Town's new sporting director, the person who helps shape a club's football plans away from the pitch. The former United States goalkeeper, who played in the Premier League for Blackburn, Liverpool and Tottenham, is part of the group that has taken over the League Two club.
The takeover was completed on Monday by Biscayne ST LLC, a consortium led by Scott Davidson. The group bought 87.4% of the club's shares, ending the control of Roland Wycherley. Friedel is one of its members.
Friedel spoke exclusively to BBC Radio Shropshire about the deal. He said Shrewsbury "hit all the boxes" of what his ownership group looks for, and of what it believes it can deliver for the club and the town.
The search was not a short one. Friedel and Davidson also looked at clubs in Turkey, Poland, Portugal and Holland before settling on Shrewsbury. Friedel said he will move to the town to work day to day at the club, and he plans to attend training every day.
Davidson is no stranger to running a club. He is already the majority shareholder of The Spartans, based in Edinburgh and playing in Scottish League Two.
Shrewsbury have a solid base to build on. They finished 10 points clear of the relegation places in League Two last season, so the job for the new owners is about moving forward rather than escaping danger. Head coach Gavin Cowan was appointed in January, and he remains in charge.
For Shrewsbury supporters, the change is a fresh start after years of one owner at the helm. A sporting director usually works on recruitment, which means finding and signing players, and on the long-term plan that sits behind the head coach's team selection. Friedel's arrival puts that work in a new set of hands, and the first real test will be how the club's signings and plans look once the new group has had time to put its stamp on them.
Friedel's own playing career gives him plenty of experience of the top flight. Now he is trying to turn that experience into a plan for a club in the fourth tier of English football. The town will be watching closely to see what it means on the pitch.
