LONG-distance owner Paul Baker has admitted he reluctantly sold his share in AFC Bournemouth as he felt he was giving the club a “short deal”.

Baker, who owns and runs businesses in and around his native Chester, yesterday |concluded a deal for his 50 per cent stake in the club with a consortium headed by Adam Murry.

He will sever his ties with the club and step down as chairman with immediate effect, while Bournemouth-based businessman Murry will become director of operations.

Baker, who purchased the club with Alastair Saverimutto in July, told the Daily Echo: “I just felt the football club deserved better than I could possibily give it.

“In terms of trying to run businesses 250 miles from another business and the economic climate as it is at the moment, I have to devote a lot of time to those businesses and just thought the football club was getting a short deal from me personally.

“If ever I do anything, I like to put my heart and soul into it and I just felt that I couldn’t do that because of the time constraints more than anything else.”

Baker added: “Over the past week or so, I’ve spoken to several people who had expressed an interest previously.

“Adam said he had people who were interested and one thing led to another. I just want the football club to progress.

“I wanted to be a driving influence on the club and because of one thing or another, I’ve not been able to do that and just decided I wasn’t being fair on the club.

“I didn’t want the whole thing prolonged or for the club to be destabilised any more than it needed to be so I decided to make it as easy as possible for a consortium to buy in. I haven’t profited in any way.

“I just wanted to give them an easy way into the club so they could take full benefit of the transfer window and get on with the job. It had to be short, sweet and quick for the benefit of the football club.

“I’ve become completely attached to the club over the past six months and it has taken up a lot of time.

“There has been a lot of fire-fighting to be done from day one.

“There has been destabilisation of the football club and I felt the longer I was there and couldn’t give it the care and attention I feel you need to give any football club, I was kidding myself.

“The best thing for it was to hand over to someone who is at the scene rather than being 250 miles away.”