Dell Loy Hansen Can Not Sell Real Salt Lake Soon Enough
Nov 19, 2020, 3:21 PM | Updated: 3:22 pm
Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman (5) protests a call in Sandy on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. Real tied Montreal 1-1. (Jeff Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeff Allred, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The impending sale of Real Salt Lake cannot come soon enough as the organization finds itself stranded and frozen until new ownership overtakes the books.
RSL, Real Monarchs, Utah Royals FC, RSL Academy are all under the Real Salt Lake umbrella in need of some financial love. Currently, all budgets within the organizations are frozen as the current owner, Dell Loy Hansen, looks to sell the franchise.
RSL is desperate for the budgets to re-open. They are looking to strengthen their roster, a roster that managed to finish 11th in the Western Conference. The club had never finished worse than 9th prior to this season.
Furthermore, RSL is also looking to replace the vacant designated player position that Sam Johnson left after the club and Johnson mutually decided to part ways after allegations surfaced that he was hosting parties during the current coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the club will not make any roster moves until the sale of the club has gone final. The budgets are literally frozen.
Sources: #MLS could be poised to take over the sale process of Real Salt Lake and the Utah Soccer Holdings if current Owner Dell Roy Hansen is unable to secure a buyer by Jan. 8, per @samstejskal & @itsmeglinehan.https://t.co/jzvdmS9lU3 pic.twitter.com/UUQlEB9SB0
— Sports Business Journal (@sbjsbd) November 16, 2020
It was also announced earlier this week that Dell Loy Hansen has until January 8th to sell the club before Major League Soccer intervenes and takes over the sale process.
If MLS takes over control the sale of the club will likely occur sooner rather than later. Negotiations between the league and potential buyers will provide faster answers and more clarity than if Hansen sells the club himself.
The sooner the club is sold and the sooner the paperwork is final, the faster RSL can begin to work on the rebuild.
Unfortunately, Hansen has established himself within the Utah business community as being a difficult partner to operate alongside. Ryan Smith, the current owner of the Utah Jazz, was reported to be interested in the sale until negotiations with Hansen deteriorated.
RSL will likely field a similar roster in 2021. The leisurely nature of Hansen and his associates deserve all the criticism for handcuffing the RSL organization. The future does not look bright.
