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Rumours of takeover/investment interest

eling-saint

By eling-saint,
in The Saints

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
The Premier League were unable to block Gao / Lander's ownership bid because he was not convicted of a crime, so they are amending their rules to expand the list of disqualifying events for future ownership bids.

 

I'm a little worried that Lander were able to sneak past the PL gates before they were closed.

This

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angelman

angelman

Posted
Posted
Worrying if true.

 

Not necessarily. It rather depends on their business model, how they recoup what they paid for us, and how they are going to make money out of us. Certainly, while we are a lot smaller than the big boys, the returns possible are there by selling us to a new breed of overseas supporter. That seems to be where the growth is. There seems little point in screwing up a £200m investment for short term gain, so while it isn't perfect, I am not sure that it is the disaster that some people think it has to be. But I guess time will tell and of course we all hope things go well.

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
He's well connected.

How does someone in their early 20s who set up his one man company a couple of years ago when fresh out of university become "well connected" and able to broker multi £100m deals with the chinese in such a short space of time? Genuine question (with a slightly 'cynical old man' veneer on it)

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angelman

angelman

Posted
Posted
How does someone in their early 20s who set up his one man company a couple of years ago when fresh out of university become "well connected" and able to broker multi £100m deals with the chinese in such a short space of time? Genuine question (with a slightly 'cynical old man' veneer on it)

 

When the company has total assets of £975, the answer is that he doesn't.

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Saint Albert

Saint Albert

Posted
Posted
Not necessarily. It rather depends on their business model, how they recoup what they paid for us, and how they are going to make money out of us. Certainly, while we are a lot smaller than the big boys, the returns possible are there by selling us to a new breed of overseas supporter. That seems to be where the growth is. There seems little point in screwing up a £200m investment for short term gain, so while it isn't perfect, I am not sure that it is the disaster that some people think it has to be. But I guess time will tell and of course we all hope things go well.

 

I appreciate your optimism. I'm trying, but I may be seeking permission for my lower lip to wobble at some point in the future. I'm really worried that they will saddle the club with the debt that they incurred in making this purchase, like the Glazer family did with Man U.

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SuperSAINT

SuperSAINT

Posted
Posted
Adam Blackmore‏ @AdamBlackmore

#saintsfc talks with Lander Sports ongoing to my knowledge & not completed, as some on Twitter may have fans thinking....

 

If correct, then I suppose the new ruling does NOT prelude Gao Jisheng & Lander?

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Kingsland Red

Kingsland Red

Posted
Posted
Lander deal reliant on Virgil being with us until complete then a sale gives them a quarter back straight away.??

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

My somewhat cynical thought too !

I hope that Lander have some substance behind them and we are not heading towards what is known as "Going down the Pompey".

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted
Lander deal reliant on Virgil being with us until complete then a sale gives them a quarter back straight away.??

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

I'm pretty sure the sale of Virgil would be factored into the purchase price of the club.

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
If correct, then I suppose the new ruling does NOT prelude Gao Jisheng & Lander?

Do we know if the new PL rulings come into play with immediate effect? It's often one thing agreeing a motion at committee level, and another thing to actually get it formalised. That said, what often happens in the real world isn't necessarily what happens in the baffling world of footballing authorities...

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Saints foreva

Saints foreva

Posted
Posted

Matey breaking the news on Twitter even says he's surprised it's gone through.

 

This tweet is also worrying:

"That may not be the case in the next transfer window."

 

In reply to this:

A benefit to 'middling' PL clubs now having such wealth: keeping best players unless truly ridiculous bids come in

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4585542/Southampton-demand-70m-Virgil-Van-Dijk.html

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SuperSAINT

SuperSAINT

Posted
Posted
Matey breaking the news on Twitter even says he's surprised it's gone through.

 

This tweet is also worrying:

"That may not be the case in the next transfer window."

 

In reply to this:

A benefit to 'middling' PL clubs now having such wealth: keeping best players unless truly ridiculous bids come in

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4585542/Southampton-demand-70m-Virgil-Van-Dijk.html

 

He makes Marc Jackson look like a clever businessman.

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pluto

pluto

Posted
Posted

I dont see how the Premier league would allow Lander to buy the club after already turning them down and now voting in rules to stop them from buying a PL club. It just wouldnt make sense and a potential massive pr disaster which i dont think they would entertain.

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Dusic

Dusic

Posted
Posted

Even if there is no announcement tomorrow it appears more and more likely that there will be soon, especially since the PL have seemingly closed the loopholes that prevented them being able to effectively challenge this takeover. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in Lander.

 

Clearly KL won't be investing further (Saints alone makes up two-thirds of her business portfolio) so we definitely need investment but surely there are less risky ways of obtaining that than something like this?

 

PR wise alone we will take a battering if this goes through and surely it violates many of the principles that Markus Liebherr stood for. Very few recent Asian based takeovers have been anything short of an absolute fiasco, so confidence will be low with a minimal benefit being that our existing management team seem likely to be retained.

 

Could signal some volatile times ahead...

 

#quietsummer #beltandroad

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pluto

pluto

Posted
Posted
Even if there is no announcement tomorrow it appears more and more likely that there will be soon, especially since the PL have seemingly closed the loopholes that prevented them being able to effectively challenge this takeover. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in Lander.

 

Clearly KL won't be investing further (Saints alone makes up two-thirds of her business portfolio) so we definitely need investment but surely there are less risky ways of obtaining that than something like this?

 

PR wise alone we will take a battering if this goes through and surely it violates many of the principles that Markus Liebherr stood for. Very few recent Asian based takeovers have been anything short of an absolute fiasco, so confidence will be low with a minimal benefit being that our existing management team seem likely to be retained.

 

Could signal some volatile times ahead...

 

#quietsummer #beltandroad

 

 

Lander need to show their hand with 'commercial revenue' as its the only thing that can take the club forward.

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Whitey Grandad

Whitey Grandad

Posted
Posted
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/southampton-sale-approved-mbh56lw2x

 

Announcement next week according to the bit of this Times article that can be read without a subscription

 

Be my guest:

 

The Premier League has given clearance for a £190 million takeover of Southampton by a Chinese company after months of investigations.

 

Gao Jisheng, the chief executive of Lander Sports Development who has been accused of paying bribes to Chinese politicians, has passed the League’s owners and directors test and an announcement is expected next week. Southampton and Lander have been informed that the proposed deal is close to being given the go-ahead.

 

Katharina Liebherr, the Southampton owner, has been negotiating with Lander over a sale for almost 12 months, with the Chinese property development company offering £190 million for 100 per cent of the club’s shares in March, as revealed by The Times. The matter was then passed to the Premier League, whose lawyers have investigated the sources and sufficiency of Lander’s funding, the company’s business plan and the structure of the deal as well as subjecting all potential owners and directors to the fit and proper persons test. The Premier League are satisfied that all aspects of Lander’s bid meet their requirements.

 

The Premier League undertakes such due diligence before signing off any potential takeovers, but Lander’s offer for Southampton has attracted more interest because of Gao. The 64-year-old property developer and sports entrepreneur has been involved in two corruption cases in China and was named in Chinese state media as one of a number of businessmen who allegedly gave bribes to Xu Maiyong, the vice-mayor of Hangzhou. Gao has always maintained his innocence.

 

Lander is proposing a phased takeover of Southampton in which it would initially buy into the club before going on to take full control. In talks with the club Lander has pledged it will not sell any players this summer, including Virgil van Dijk, who is wanted by Chelsea and Manchester City as well as Liverpool, who have been reported to the Premier League by Southampton for allegedly making an illegal approach to the Dutch defender.

 

 

Liebherr intends to keep some of her Southampton shares in the short term to provide continuity before selling up completely if Lander’s promises of additional investment materialise. Lander appears happy for Liebherr to stay on as a minority shareholder. The chairman, Ralph Krueger, is likely to remain in place, although Lander will seek representation on the board.

 

Liebherr’s willingness to sell stems from her belief that Southampton require additional investment to cement their position as a top-ten Premier League club and a desire to spread her assets across a wider portfolio. The Times revealed earlier this week that Liebherr is also facing the prospect of a large tax bill as a result of an investigation by Germany’s Public Prosecutor’s Office into the estate of her late father Markus, who bequeathed Southampton to her following his death in 2010.

 

Lander would be the second Chinese owners in the league after Guochuan Lai’s takeover of West Bromwich Albion last year.

 

A meeting of Premier League chairmen yesterday agreed to toughen up the rules surrounding takeovers of clubs, though it is not clear when they will come into force.

 

In the future, prospective owners or directors will be barred if they are judged to have misled the Premier League, or to have engaged in conduct that would constitute a criminal offence in the UK.

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Saint Albert

Saint Albert

Posted
Posted

 

In talks with the club Lander has pledged it will not sell any players this summer, including Virgil van Dijk, who is wanted by Chelsea and Manchester City as well as Liverpool, who have been reported to the Premier League by Southampton for allegedly making an illegal approach to the Dutch defender.

 

 

This could be awkward for Bertrand.

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Dusic

Dusic

Posted
Posted

So the last paragraph of The Times article suggests the PL have specifically looked to change the rules as a reult of not being legally able to block our takeover.

 

Under the proposed new rules they would not have allowed Gao Jisheng to own a UK football team.

 

Great...

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Saint Troy

Saint Troy

Posted
Posted
So the last paragraph of The Times article suggests the PL have specifically looked to change the rules as a reult of not being legally able to block our takeover.

 

Under the proposed new rules they would not have allowed Gao Jisheng to own a UK football team.

 

Great...

 

Is this the case? As I read it he is currently entirely innocent and therefore the new rules wouldn't touch him? How would he be blocked underfthe new rules (I clearly don't know his full story)

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doddisalegend

doddisalegend

Posted
Posted (edited)
So the last paragraph of The Times article suggests the PL have specifically looked to change the rules as a reult of not being legally able to block our takeover.

 

Under the proposed new rules they would not have allowed Gao Jisheng to own a UK football team.

 

Great...

 

definite whiff of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted...

Edited by doddisalegend
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doddisalegend

doddisalegend

Posted
Posted
Is this the case? As I read it he is currently entirely innocent and therefore the new rules wouldn't touch him? How would he be blocked underfthe new rules (I clearly don't know his full story)

 

He wasn't innocent he avoid prosecution by turning states evidence. The issue for the PL was, I believe, that the rules only covered illegal activity in the UK not abroad under the new rules, voted for yesterday, his corruption and bribery charges would have made him fail the FaPP test.

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Ivan Katalinic's 'tache

Ivan Katalinic's 'tache

Posted
Posted
He wasn't innocent he avoid prosecution by turning states evidence. The issue for the PL was, I believe, that the rules only covered illegal activity in the UK not abroad under the new rules, voted for yesterday, his corruption and bribery charges would have made him fail the FaPP test.

 

Well, if he pays off the opposition so we can score more goals & win more games then I'm all for it. Might actually be a more cost effective route than adding to the squad.

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tajjuk

tajjuk

Posted
Posted

Only feel apprehension about this to be honest, I don't like that it particularly highlights the bit about not selling players this summer, as if after that it will be a free for all of selling to make them money.

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hutch

hutch

Posted
Posted

The SSN I'm watching says that its Lander that are claiming it's a done deal, and Sky sources are claiming that SFC are saying it's a long way from being a done deal.

 

And my reading of the new rules is that the PL could exclude for crimes committed overseas, not would or must, so it is discretionary. Basildon Bond will breathe a huge sigh of relief.

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