THE consortium headed up by Justin Rees have completed their takeover of Southend United.

After a year long worth of discussions, the consortium have finally taken over the running of the National League club.

A statement released this afternoon confirmed: "The consortium is delighted to announce that the purchase of Southend United Football Club has been successfully completed.

"All parties would like to take this opportunity to thank the SUFC staff, suppliers, and fans of the club for their unwavering support throughout this period.

"The process, which began in July 2023, was complex and as a result has taken longer than any of us anticipated.

"Completing a complicated deal such as this requires hard work and compromise on all sides.

"With that in mind, we would like to extend our thanks to Ron and Jack Martin, who have acted with integrity and professionalism throughout our dealings, aiming to find solutions as quickly as possible to the many complex and challenging changes that arose along the way.

"We also thank the councillors and officers of Southend-on-Sea City Council. The three parties have been united in finding a resolution.  

"We now turn our attention to the start of the new season and hope that the Southend community will unite behind Kevin Maher and the Blues squad. 

"There remains much work to be done but with the support of the city, we are confident of a bright future for the Shrimpers.

"We hope to see you at Roots Hall for our season opener against York City as we begin this new journey together."

The consortium have been funding the club since just before Christmas and have already invested around £4million to avoid