Walsall co-chairman Benjamin Boycott aims to leave a lasting Saddlers legacy

American investment group Trivela are now the Saddlers' majority shareholders, having initially acquired 51 per cent of Leigh Pomlett's shares in the club.

They have committed to reuniting Walsall with the freehold for Bescot and also injected around £300,000 to help renovate the rundown Saddlers' Club on the stadium grounds.

On why they invested in the Saddlers, Boycott said: "Our motivation is to invest in things that matter and will last.

"This club has a 134-year history, so that stability and ability to positively impact a community through an investment, I can't think of a better avenue to do that than a football club.

"We're very passionate about football, but you also have to be smart about it.

"That's why it's been a year-long process as we wanted to do our due diligence, which we've done, to make sure we do the right deal.

"If we are able to create significant value in this community, that increases the value of the club, and that's good for us in the long term."

Boycott and the rest of the Trivela Group will remain based in the States in the short term, but they plan to make regular visits to Walsall and attend games.

Pomlett, chief executive officer Stefan Gamble and chief operating officer Dan Mole will continue to oversee the day-to-day running of the club while Boycott and Trivela, as the majority shareholders, have the decisive say on matters.

Boycott added on Trivela's long-term view: "A lot of times these things get entered with 'we have to exit by this point to deliver this return'. That's not our perspective.

"We want to be here for the long haul and increase the value of the club on an off the pitch.

"It's a very long-term, generational view we have towards investing."