New Barnsley chairman Maurice Watkins has played down talk of a takeover and says he is excited about the new season.
Watkins visited Oakwell on Thursday to meet players and staff for the first time since his appointment to the Barnsley board before visiting the Chronicle offices.
Numerous parties have expressed an interest in buying the football club in recent months but Watkins said: "Every club in the Premier League and Football League is for sale but that's only if the right person comes along. I'm here as chairman and I'm looking forward to being here for a little while."
Watkins, a Manchester-based lawyer who often represents celebrities and sports stars, was a director at Manchester United for 28 years. He is the chairman of various organisations but is relishing his new role at Oakwell. He is extensively involved in player transfers and personally handled the signing of Dale Jennings from Bayern Munich.
Watkins said: "I'm finding it very interesting and enjoyed meeting the players, even though they look a lot different close up to when you see them from afar. I knew one or two of them already from my other football life.
"For Dale Jennings, I rang Bayern Munich and spoke to the"I knew Bayern from being at a number of games in the past and I've had the odd night out with Mr Uli Hoeness (Bayern Munich President) and Mr Franz Beckenbauer and I mentioned who I was when I rang them.
"The most important thing is where the player wants to go and whether he feels it's the right environment for him. I can't claim he was my signing but I did make the call."
Watkins spoke of his excitement at the 'new era' and expects off-the-field changes at Barnsley through the course of the season. He said: "I want to build on what we started last year and make steady progress. We have a new era at Oakwell. We want to engage with supporters and make going to the game a new experience, that's certainly our objective.
"We want to look at other opportunities for the club like the sponsorship side of things and how we can grow the club. If we can do this then we might be able to invest more in players. I've known for a long time that everything depends on what goes on on the pitch but you have to give the manager and players the best opportunity. The players did tremendously well at the end of last season and, from January onwards, they really played for each other. We need to carry on from there and put ourselves in a good position in the Championship which is one of the hardest leagues there is."
