Richest man in China looking to buy Football Club

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31838296

Wasn't there talk last year of this chap being interested in Saints...Happy with Katharina and Family, but this guy could take us to the next level!

However if he is looking at Italy as well, I would have thought someone like Inter would be a better bet.

Wouldn't swap what we have now, very happy with current owners and set-up. Inter/AC are probably ripe for a PSG-type purchase or possibly Valencia?

Differcult call the current owners have been fabulous but an opening into China merchandise could huge but also happy with what we have

Which English clubs have far eastern owners? Off the top of my head there is Birmingham (think that guy is in prison now not sure if he even still owns the club) and the guy at Cardiff (who made them wear red) any others? I'm surprised there aren't more.

If you were to buy a club in this country, there are some that should be more attractive than us. If I had no affiliation to a club, I would look to buy Newcastle first, then Everton and then maybe Villa. Of course price comes into it. Then there are some in the Championship that might be worth a look. I know Leeds has recently had new owners, but wouldn't be surprised if it could be bought on the cheap.

From a FFP point of view, it should be between Villa and Newcastle based on gate receipts etc, however you have to counter balance this against the money it would take to improve the squad (or in Villa's case the very real possibility need to get them out of the Championship). No billionaire is going to invest in a Championship club above a Premier League team. As I said, I am very happy with the ownership we have, but I do think we are an attractive proposition. Increasingly established in the top half of the league, with a profitable academy and excellent facilities. Plus an established ethos which runs through the club. A buyer could come in and improve the squad and look to increase capacity at the stadium in a sustainable manner, rather than spending gazillions on a new squad...

...will be interesting what happens.

How much did the Liebherr family pay for Saints? Around £13 million if I remember correctly. Wrote off around £30million investment as shares. Would certainly recover their investment if they sold now.

A foreign investor with money would be better off looking at a team in Championship/League 1. I think Leeds would be worth a punt, although their management structure would need a rebuild

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31838296

 

Wasn't there talk last year of this chap being interested in Saints...

Yep.... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?48666-Dalian-Wanda

He's been linked with Atletico Madrid

He's been linked with Atletico Madrid

Where he already has a 20% stake but read on..................

Already owns 20% of Atletico...

Again, why would you buy a Championship side? Spend a fortune on a squad, No guarantee of promotion, you then have to build again in the Premier League - which isn't easy (see QPR/Cardiff etc). If he buys now, he can get a good deal before the megabucks TV deal kicks in. People who are worth £14billion don't tend to spend £Millions without thinking of the return...Everton; Newcastle and Villa would be obvious choices however someone like Swansea or Saints would be a more sensible shout. Anyway it isn't going to happen but fun to speculate!

In L1 we were a great investment, due to the facilities we already had in place. So we were able to invest into the team and grow with that. I think a Newcastle, Everton or a Villa are more attractive options than us at this level. I think we've got a great setup at the moment though, and I can never see us becoming a mega-rich sugardaddy backed club - it's not what we are about.

Which English clubs have far eastern owners? Off the top of my head there is Birmingham (think that guy is in prison now not sure if he even still owns the club) and the guy at Cardiff (who made them wear red) any others? I'm surprised there aren't more.

Leicester, Reading and Sheff Wed all now have Thai owners and none seem to be setting the world on fire !

I have done business with Dalian Wanda in the past (around 10 years ago!) and my advice would be "pass me the bargepole" !

Doubt that it would happen anyway but solid Swiss/German funds and principles offer me much more confidence than new money from the Far East !

As I understand FFP it doesn't matter how rich the owner is if you are spending beyond the set percentages v income the club generates you fall foul of FFP rules. You can't have a Jack Hayward at Blackburn where he had money to burn and hoovered up all the good players and won the Premier League with them.

With a mega rich overseas owner you could set up exhibition games like Man City in the Far East recently and "charge" a mega bucks appearance fee paid via a convenient sponsor to boost the clubs generated income without the FFP committee being able to do owt about it.

In L1 we were a great investment, due to the facilities we already had in place. So we were able to invest into the team and grow with that. I think a Newcastle, Everton or a Villa are more attractive options than us at this level. I think we've got a great setup at the moment though, and I can never see us becoming a mega-rich sugardaddy backed club - it's not what we are about.

And I for one am glad about that. I really can't stand the extreme levels of "success buying" Chelsea and Manchester City have shown over the last 5-10 years. I know money is always going to be a factor but whereas a team getting a cash injection for one or two new players can help mix things up a bit, I see the success that Manchester City are enjoying right now as something of a hollow victory, it's like completing a computer game with cheat mode enabled. That's what would make, although it is looking less and less likely by the week, Southampton getting snatching a CL place from one of the big clubs taste all the sweeter.

Wouldn't want this. Careful what you wish for.

This chap should think about it like buying a house.

Saints are a lovely big detached house - very good state of repair, high spec fittings, all done recently. Debate able if planning permission to extend would be granted.

Villa and Everton and older bigger places but they are a bit dilapidated. The electrics need updating. The heating looks a bit dodgy. They have been owned by an old person who has just gone into a home.

Leeds is a real big old place. No-one has lived there for about 10 years. It has gone to rack a ruin because of a dispute over a Will. The roof if fooked.

Or Pompey - similar to Leeds but also built on a cliff top which is falling into the sea.

One line saying ' considering' isn't suggesting too much. And buying doesn't equate with investing. Link the way Saints are doing it at the mo.

As I understand FFP it doesn't matter how rich the owner is if you are spending beyond the set percentages v income the club generates you fall foul of FFP rules. You can't have a Jack Hayward at Blackburn where he had money to burn and hoovered up all the good players and won the Premier League with them.

With a mega rich overseas owner you could set up exhibition games like Man City in the Far East recently and "charge" a mega bucks appearance fee paid via a convenient sponsor to boost the clubs generated income without the FFP committee being able to do owt about it.

Just as a rough rule of thumb, a rich owner can put in about 13 million pounds a year above the pure sustainable target that current management has set for our club. (This is an estimate based upon European FFP rules and a guess as to the costs that are excludable under FFP rules. The number will vary with the exchange rate so it would be be somewhat lower now than it was a few months ago.) Of course, we have not yet hit this sustainability target and Liebherr has put in substantial money over the years.

Also, a rich owner could pay for a new stadium, a stadium expansion, or new facilities directly out of pocket with no FFP consequences.

This chap should think about it like buying a house.

 

Saints are a lovely big detached house - very good state of repair, high spec fittings, all done recently. Debate able if planning permission to extend would be granted.

 

Villa and Everton and older bigger places but they are a bit dilapidated. The electrics need updating. The heating looks a bit dodgy. They have been owned by an old person who has just gone into a home.

 

Leeds is a real big old place. No-one has lived there for about 10 years. It has gone to rack a ruin because of a dispute over a Will. The roof if fooked.

 

Or Pompey - similar to Leeds but also built on a cliff top which is falling into the sea.

Great metaphors.

...until he likened "real big old" Leeds to little ol' p*mpey...

...until he likened "real big old" Leeds to little ol' p*mpey...

I think he was likening Pompey to the Leeds metaphor of the house gone to ruin rather than the Leeds club itself.

pompey is more like pompei! a once proud place buried under a ton of S@#t!!

Pompey's a two up two down with a big trashy porch stuck on the front because the owners have delusions of grandeur. Inside its falling to bits because a series of feckless owners spent all their money on gambling. There's a pile of unpaid bills in the hallway. It's now occupied by a group of travellers.

This chap should think about it like buying a house.

 

Saints are a lovely big detached house - very good state of repair, high spec fittings, all done recently. Debate able if planning permission to extend would be granted.

 

Villa and Everton and older bigger places but they are a bit dilapidated. The electrics need updating. The heating looks a bit dodgy. They have been owned by an old person who has just gone into a home.

 

Leeds is a real big old place. No-one has lived there for about 10 years. It has gone to rack a ruin because of a dispute over a Will. The roof if fooked.

 

Or Pompey - similar to Leeds but also built on a cliff top which is falling into the sea.

Good comparisons.

But disagree about Pompey. They would not be a house, more the disused and falling apart outdoor toilet at the bottom of an overgrown and disused garden path.

Pompey =

Ask Birmingham supporters what it's been like having one of Chinese richest men as their owner. He's completely ruined them. Why is it that some idiots are always thinking it's greener on the other side of the hill.

People always forget about Sheffield Wednesday too, that is a big old ground with a lot of bums on seats potential and in my opinion, alongside Leeds as the best possible investment for someone with stacks of cash who wants to make a name in the game.

If I had that money, I think it'd be more fun starting at that level ... it's just like playing FM ... right?

And no, quite happy with our current owner, structure and way we are, don't want this guy here, thanks.

This chap should think about it like buying a house.

 

Saints are a lovely big detached house - very good state of repair, high spec fittings, all done recently. Debate able if planning permission to extend would be granted.

 

Villa and Everton and older bigger places but they are a bit dilapidated. The electrics need updating. The heating looks a bit dodgy. They have been owned by an old person who has just gone into a home.

 

Leeds is a real big old place. No-one has lived there for about 10 years. It has gone to rack a ruin because of a dispute over a Will. The roof if fooked.

 

Or Pompey - similar to Leeds but also built on a cliff top which is falling into the sea.

Sorry, to clarify, I meant similar in terms of having gone to rack and ruin. Obviously I was not intending to associate the word "big" with them. That would be ridiculous. Apologies for the offence this has caused.

Yeah, I've always thought it's strange that Leeds didn't attract big investment, if back in the premier league they would be a big challenger with a profit to be made

Really wouldn't want to become a Man City. We're doing things the right way, their success means absolutely nothing to me, just depressing for football.

It would be terrible to win the league twice , FA cup and qualify for champions league . I would hate it if we spent millions on a campus and youth development . I desperately want us to remain a mid table club that wins **** all.

It would be terrible to win the league twice , FA cup and qualify for champions league . I would hate it if we spent millions on a campus and youth development . I desperately want us to remain a mid table club that wins **** all.

You mock, but I live in Manchester and know a fair few Man City fans (the sort who were at Maine Road week in week out). To say many of them feel a bit detached from their club is an understatement. They of course have enjoyed their success but they don't feel a real attachment with the club, or a part of anything. Everything is so sanitised 'big club' about them. Perhaps inevitable, but to go ahead and achieve what they have by just throwing money at it hasn't entirely fulfilled them.

Of course, it is debateable as to whether or not doing it any other way is possible but the novelty of it all has worn off a little.

You mock, but I live in Manchester and know a fair few Man City fans (the sort who were at Maine Road week in week out). To say many of them feel a bit detached from their club is an understatement. They of course have enjoyed their success but they don't feel a real attachment with the club, or a part of anything. Everything is so sanitised 'big club' about them. Perhaps inevitable, but to go ahead and achieve what they have by just throwing money at it hasn't entirely fulfilled them.

 

Of course, it is debateable as to whether or not doing it any other way is possible but the novelty of it all has worn off a little.

Similar to a Chelsea fan I know; Been going to games since the 80's when they were sh!te, was a shareholder, follows them round Europe etc. Anyway, he has said it was great for the first couple of seasons winning games regularly, but after that the expectation changed and combined with rising ticket prices, realisation it was no longer 'your' club and a plaything for a trigger happy billionaire changed the whole experience of the club.

Still, hasn't stopped him becoming an arrogant arse about it all.

Similar to a Chelsea fan I know; Been going to games since the 80's when they were sh!te, was a shareholder, follows them round Europe etc. Anyway, he has said it was great for the first couple of seasons winning games regularly, but after that the expectation changed and combined with rising ticket prices, realisation it was no longer 'your' club and a plaything for a trigger happy billionaire changed the whole experience of the club.

 

Still, hasn't stopped him becoming an arrogant arse about it all.

At least something good came out of it.

This chap should think about it like buying a house.

 

Saints are a lovely big detached house - very good state of repair, high spec fittings, all done recently. Debate able if planning permission to extend would be granted.

 

Villa and Everton and older bigger places but they are a bit dilapidated. The electrics need updating. The heating looks a bit dodgy. They have been owned by an old person who has just gone into a home.

 

Leeds is a real big old place. No-one has lived there for about 10 years. It has gone to rack a ruin because of a dispute over a Will. The roof if fooked.

 

Or Pompey - similar to Leeds but also built on a cliff top which is falling into the sea.

Lol...... Not sure that Pompey is even remotely similar to Leeds, their certainly not big, house of cards would be a better metaphor for that lot........