Southend United: Justin Rees on his wife's reaction to him wanting to buy the club

The sale of Southend United to a consortium headed by Australian businessman Justin Rees is close to being completed.

Asked how the deal had come about, he told BBC Essex: "I saw an article that Southend was looking for a takeover and was in a difficult position....I saw the broker representing the current owner and said: "Hey, I could be interested."

When he told his wife he wanted to buy the club, she "burst into tears", he said.

“She then came around and was very supportive. I think she could hear all the conversations I was having with potential consortium members and as that grew, she could hear the passion I had for it, and I think she was happy I had found something I was passionate about”.

Read: Consortium hope to seal Southend deal next month

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Video by Lauren Carter