New Burnley investor and ex-NFL player JJ Watt is determined to win over doubters still sceptical of Americans who buy into English football.
“But we understand the situation and we want to continue to earn that trust and show that we are going to honour and respect that tradition and history.” “You don’t do that here . You’re born somewhere, you support that club and that is your club, ride or die forever. That’s very, very, important. Though Watt’s Wisconsin accent will always betray his nationality, he is also conscious of the nuances in vocabulary that might be perceived as shudderingly Yankee on these shores, like “locker room” instead of “dressing room”. Watt’s authentic appreciation of English football – he also speaks eloquently about the women’s game – was initially motivated by his ambition to one day invest in a club, “because someday, if it was possible, I wanted to make sure I could speak properly about it”.