Brent 'quietly hopeful' over deal

Businessman James Brent, the man now leading the race to takeover Plymouth, has told all connected with the club that a deal will not be resolved overnight.

But the hotelier said he has high hopes of the negotiations falling in his favour, after rival bidder Bishop International - fronted by Kevin Heaney - withdrew their interest on Wednesday. There remain other consortiums and interested parties, including Paul Buttivant, but Brent is understood to be the club's administrators' preferred bidder.

"Rather than quietly confident I'm quietly hopeful," he told BBC South West.

"It is complicated. It will take weeks rather than days to close something, and until it's done, it's not done.

"I've ended the week happier than I started it.

"There's no saying if something will blow up tomorrow or Monday that won't become a tank trap, but there's none in sight at the moment."

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