Ched Evans was on Wednesday night poised to become an Oldham Athletic player after the club’s owner confirmed he was on the brink of signing the convicted rapist who he declared had “served his time”.
Simon Corney, who is also the chairman of the League One side, revealed there was an “80 per cent chance” of Evans ending his exile from the game at Boundary Park despite the huge backlash that would provoke.
Claiming three Premier League managers had contacted him to support a decision that had been agreed “unanimously” among the Oldham board, Corney acknowledged the opposition of sponsors, one of which abandoned the club in protest. “There might be a cost implication, but you have to stick to your principles,” Corney told the Jewish Chronicle. “We weren’t surprised by the backlash.”
Confirming a deal for Evans could happen “at any time” amid hope at Oldham of a formal unveiling on Thursday, Corney added: “We believe he has served his time. There is an 80 per cent chance of us signing him. It’s not straightforward and there are some legal issues.”
The League One club were said on Wednesday to have agreed personal terms with Evans on a two-and-a-half-year contract that would earn the 26-year-old £2,500 a week.
Oldham said they would “hopefully” have something to announce at what could be a press conference involving the Professional Footballers’ Association.
Opposition to Evans’s signing has been large and vocal from inside and outside football.
Corney said: “I completely understand people’s views and I respect them. But we want people to keep them in check. I hope people don’t get too carried away and it doesn’t get too hot.”
Oldham director Barry Owen on Wednesday night suggested a deal for Evans may not be concluded in time for the striker to be involved in their home match against Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
“There are ongoing negotiations with regard to signing Ched Evans,” he said. “Unfortunately, quite a lot of due diligence still needs to be completed. We are still in talks with the PFA and other agencies. There are things to be done, genuinely, and I don’t anticipate that it is going to be done over the next few days.”
The club and the PFA were working on a joint statement on Tuesday that might have contained some words of contrition from Evans over the events that led to him being jailed for raping a 19-year-old woman at a hotel in 2011 or the subsequent fallout.
That would be a risky move for the striker, who has always protested his innocence and is trying to get his conviction overturned.
Oldham’s resolve in offering Evans a chance to rebuild his career – which they did with Lee Hughes in 2007 after he was jailed for causing death by dangerous driving – has been tested by two of their sponsors vowing to walk away if they do so.
One did not even wait for any formal announcement on Wednesday after Verlin Rainwater Solutions, whose name adorns a stand at Boundary Park, confirmed the end of its association with the club.
“After receiving the news regarding the imminent signing of Ched Evans, it is with great regret that Verlin Rainwater Solutions will no longer be associated with Oldham Athletic,” Craig Verling, a director of Verlin, said.
“We would like to take this opportunity to make clear that we feel that Mr Evans should be able to lead a life without further punishment after serving his sentence, although our feelings remain the same that this should not be within the public domain where his previous behaviour may influence the next generation.
“We sincerely wish the club a very successful future and have no regrets about being associated with Oldham Athletic over the past few seasons, but feel our continued support would be sending out the wrong message.”
Chicken restaurant chain Nando's also announced it would be ending its relationship with Oldham.
On Twitter, the company said: "RE Oldham signing: we'd have liked to continue our involvement with fan prizes at matches but feel we can no longer continue our association."
Two other sponsors, Zen Office and Mecca Bingo, confirmed they would sever their ties with the club if the signing of Evans went ahead.
Mike Ashley, the Newcastle United owner, could ultimately force Oldham to pull the plug on any move if he threatens to withdraw Sport Direct’s £1 million sponsorship of the club.
The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird, wrote a personal letter to Ashley on Monday urging him to do so, one of two such interventions by senior police figures in the saga.
David Cameron’s official spokesman reiterated the Prime Minister’s scepticism over Evans’s comeback following Sheffield United’s decision to pull out of re-signing him in November.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Monday that Oldham would be right to reconsider recruiting Evans.
A petition set up urging Corney to “refuse to sign Ched Evans” had on Wednesday night attracted more than 66,000 signatures.
Evans was first linked with the club at the end of last year when they issued a statement insisting they would not be offering the ex-Wales striker a contract or the opportunity to train with them.
That was after United invited him to train with them in November, seemingly with a view to re-signing him, but pulled out after several club patrons quit, sponsors threatened to do the same and 160,000 people signed a petition opposing the move.
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