It’s fair to say that Burnley owner Alan Pace is very happy with his purchase of Espanyol. And he was keen to reaffirm that this week.
[Sport cover the situation today](https://www.sport.es/es/), explaining Pace was in attendance this week for a big Espanyol party. They’ve been celebrating their 125th birthday.
That saw them gather a large part of their ‘family’ at the site of their founding at Barcelona University. The club held an event to honour the anniversary that was ‘both moving and memorable’ according got the newspaper.
It saw everyone recounting memories of the club among other things. Some of the team and the manager were in attendance. And the Burnley owner also didn’t miss out. He is ‘overjoyed’ to be part of the project after sealing his takeover.
“I feel very proud to be here at such a grand celebration,” he said.
“This club means so much to this community. And being a part of this is indescribable… I’m very happy. It’s a great responsibility for me to be the president of this club, especially in such a special year. We will work to continue growing Espanyol and to try to give back to these fans everything they give us.
“I also want to thank everyone who has made this club great over so many years. And I don’t want to forget those who are no longer with us, but who have left their mark on Espanyol. Thanks to them, we look to the future.”
The Burnley owner was busy sharing the stage with former presidents. He was also rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barcelona’s vice-presidents, the director of institutional relations at Real Madrid and president of the parliament and the mayor.
He is clearly determined to make a positive impression and, loving life at his new club. How he tallies that with Burnley, his first club purchase, remains to be seen.
The American businessman has already insisted that the two clubs will remain separate, although they will work together in some departments. Right now, though, the focus is very much on Espanyol and he’s clearly enjoying himself.