The Sunday Times - Southampton put up for sale at £250m

[The Odd Guy]

" Southampton Football Club have been made available for sale less than three years after the Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng purchased a controlling stake in the Premier League club.

The Sunday Times understands that more than one broker has been invited to source a buyer for Southampton at an asking price of about £250 million.

Achieving an enterprise value of around that level would allow Gao to leave English football at a sum similar to the amount the previous owner — Katharina Liebherr, who inherited the club from her late father — received for 80 per cent of Southampton’s shares in August 2017. Since Gao’s takeover the club have been repeatedly endangered by relegation, finishing 17th in 2017-18, and 16th last season. "

 

The rest of the article is behind a paywall so I don't have the full story.

Is there any truth in this?

 

 

 

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/southampton-put-up-for-sale-at-250m-3d57h22zs

 

 

 

 

 

[DuncanRG]

The other relevant bit "The club is yet to report financial results for the 2018-19 season but sources involved in finding a purchaser for Southampton expect these to be considerably less healthy than the £28.6 million profit declared last March. The club would have made a significant loss in 2017-18 had it not been for Virgil van Dijk’s record £75 million sale to Liverpool, while the ratio of wage to turnover rose to 74 per cent."

 

Onto the ownership roulette once again. Let's hope we don't get a lunatic.

[verlaine1979]

If we can find a buyer at all.

[Heisenberg]

It's going to be complicated by the 80/20 ownership, state of the current squad and current wage to revenue ratio.

 

If Goa wants 250m for 80% that means a full takeover would cost c300m. Think we will struggle to find a buyer at that price

 

Redbull Saints.....

[Pilchards]

With many companies going bust and the current Coronavirus outbreak I don’t have much hope.

[hypochondriac]

Cheers kat.

[Wade Garrett]

Hopefully it will appeal to a certain billionaire who lives locally.

 

I doubt it though.

[Wade Garrett]

Any photocopier salesmen with that sort of cash?

[Batman]

Be wise to keep our powder dry in the summer transfer window .. or at best, shift a few to balance the books

[SuperSAINT]

Wonder if Gao has told anyone running the club about this.

[Norm]

Hopefully it will appeal to a certain billionaire who lives locally.

 

I doubt it though.

I’m not ready to move just yet.

[CB Fry]

But he hasn't quite finished the multi-million pound development of hotels and restaurants and leisure businesses in the city yet, so there's no way he could be selling up now.

[Saint_clark]

Be wise to keep our powder dry in the summer transfer window .. or at best, shift a few to balance the books

We won't be seeing anything close to the investment we need in the summer, unless a buyer comes in quick.

Brilliant timing.

What a waste of 3 years that was.

 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[EBS1980]

Hopefully it will appeal to a certain billionaire who lives locally.

 

I doubt it though.

 

Who’s that?

[alehouseboys]

With many companies going bust and the current Coronavirus outbreak I don’t have much hope.

 

And with China at the sharp end they'll know whats's coming. Bung in the potential loss of revenue from closed stadiums and low take-up of season tickets in the summer and our legendary balancing of the books looks in jeopardy. Gao is probably wishing he'd kept his Renminbi in his pocket now as he'll be stuck with us for some time to come. Unfortunately.

[alehouseboys]

Who’s that?

 

A Man U fan who lives in the New Forest who's already involved with a couple of other clubs. Dead rubber.

[RedWillie]

If this is true then good. Gao has done sweet f.a. for this club except bring three years of **** football

[stknowle]

I want this to be good news. I could be but more likely/inevitable will have us in a scenario where we can't find a buyer and are stuck with an owner that doesn't want us and never seemed interested even when he apparently did. Sunderland fans can advise us where that leads.

[Convict Colony]

A Man U fan who lives in the New Forest who's already involved with a couple of other clubs. Dead rubber.

Jim Radcliffe owner of Nice and some swiss team i believe and obviously in charge of Ineos.

 

Reckon be might of thought about it before nice purchase but not now

[Saints foreva]

Hopefully good news in the long run.

 

Gao is comfortably the worst owner in the league.

[Sunglasses Ron]

So there goes the plan for a storming summer transfer window!

[EBS1980]

Jim Radcliffe owner of Nice and some swiss team i believe and obviously in charge of Ineos.

 

Reckon be might of thought about it before nice purchase but not now

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/51452874

[benjii]

So there goes the plan for a storming summer transfer window!

 

That was never the plan!

[benjii]

But he hasn't quite finished the multi-million pound development of hotels and restaurants and leisure businesses in the city yet, so there's no way he could be selling up now.

 

Yeah, he’s played this all wrong. There’s no way the council will let him spunk tens of millions on regenerating the waterfront now. What a doofus!

[whelk]

Jim Radcliffe owner of Nice and some swiss team i believe and obviously in charge of Ineos.

 

Reckon be might of thought about it before nice purchase but not now

 

Was pitched it by MLT’s lot before Marcus bought us.

[Wade Garrett]

Americans

Red Bull

Local Billionaire

Pink Flying Unicorn

 

I’ll go Pink Flying Unicorn.

[Heisenberg]

If you had the money would you pay 300m for Saints or 300m for Newcastle?

 

Ashley has been trying to flog Newcastle at that price for years and they are a much more attractive option (at that price) than us.

[Turkish]

The other relevant bit "The club is yet to report financial results for the 2018-19 season but sources involved in finding a purchaser for Southampton expect these to be considerably less healthy than the £28.6 million profit declared last March. The club would have made a significant loss in 2017-18 had it not been for Virgil van Dijk’s record £75 million sale to Liverpool, while the ratio of wage to turnover rose to 74 per cent."

 

Onto the ownership roulette once again. Let's hope we don't get a lunatic.

 

Can’t be true. We have a brilliant sustainable

Business model

[Turkish]

If you had the money would you pay 300m for Saints or 300m for Newcastle?

 

Ashley has been trying to flog Newcastle at that price for years and they are a much more attractive option (at that price) than us.

 

Far better value to be had buying a championship or even league one club. You could pick one of those up for a half or even third of the price, invest £50m and get them back to having the same sustainable premier league model we have.

[Sunglasses Ron]

That was never the plan!

 

Haha, you're right so I'll rephrase...

 

There goes any hope we had for a storming summer transfer window!

[Heisenberg]

Far better value to be had buying a championship or even league one club. You could pick one of those up for a half or even third of the price, invest £50m and get them back to having the same sustainable premier league model we have.

 

Or even Sunderland for 35m

[beatlesaint]

Step forward a consortium run by one N. Cortese

 

In all seriousness I hope this is true. Get rid of this non entity of an owner.

[hypochondriac]

Step forward a consortium run by one N. Cortese [emoji38]

 

In all seriousness I hope this is true. Get rid of this non entity of an owner.

Someone being for sale isn't really good news if no one is available to buy.

[Noodles34]

Where’s Micky Fialka these days?

[beatlesaint]

Someone being for sale isn't really good news if no one is available to buy.

 

Niether is being stuck with Chairman Gao for the next ten years !

[Mr Saints]

Fingers crossed something comes of it

[Turkish]

So I guess that rules out any reasonable transfer business this summer then. I’m sure some will applaud the great business sense of not signing players when we are for sale

So another season of the same sh1t players making the same mistakes awaits. Roll

Up and get your season ticket everyone, clap along and smile we march on

[Batman]

So I guess that rules out any reasonable transfer business this summer then. I’m sure some will applaud the great business sense of not signing players when we are for sale

So another season of the same sh1t players making the same mistakes awaits. Roll

Up and get your season ticket everyone, clap along and smile we march on

 

to think, we were told (on here) that we didnt sign anyone properly in Jan as the market was bare!

[hypochondriac]

Niether is being stuck with Chairman Gao for the next ten years !

That's probably the case even with us bejng for sale. No one is going to buy saints for that price. We probably wouldn't get anyone remotely credible for even 100 million. If we do sell it would probably be to someone worse. As I said, cheers kat for ruining your father's legacy. If she truly loved and valued the club as she claimed then she could have easily sold us for something like 50 million to a sensible and credible buyer who was actually interested in investing rather than this setup. Edited 8 March, 2020 by hypochondriac

[Turkish]

to think, we were told (on here) that we didnt sign anyone properly in Jan as the market was bare!

 

And then that we didn’t need to do anything as we are perfectly fine for the rest of the season. That’s going well isn’t it..

[Heisenberg]

to think, we were told (on here) that we didnt sign anyone properly in Jan as the market was bare!

 

I've noticed the defence of the Jan window has got as weak as our defence since the Jan window

[Dusic]

I would imagine the reality here is that most clubs are almost always "up for sale" for the right price.

 

Fairly sure we have heard these stories once or twice before during Gao's tenure.

 

Only worth thinking anything of it once there is a stated interest from a buyer, rather than a desire to sell.

[ooh it's a corner]

If you had the money would you pay 300m for Saints or 300m for Newcastle?

 

Ashley has been trying to flog Newcastle at that price for years and they are a much more attractive option (at that price) than us.

 

That depends on what assets Newcastle has and what assets Southampton has.

 

If Newcastle have a smaller, less developed training facility, no Jackson's Farm, no housing stock scattered across the city, then you could argue that Saints have north of £50m more assets than Newcastle. (Obviously I have plucked a random number from the sky, but the principle is that valuation will come down to the finance numbers, more than the size and stature of the clubs).

 

As someone mentioned on this thread, Sunderland was a £35m acquisition and given our annual fight with relegation, I'm not sure there is a £265m differential between us and Sunderland.

 

But, exciting times. I look forward to various reports of yacht movements, ear lobe spotting and my mate's taxi driving uncle rumours......

[Heisenberg]

I think the club has been "up for sale" since October tbh

[davefizzy14]

Heres the full article:

 

Southampton Football Club have been made available for sale less than three years after the Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng purchased a controlling stake in the Premier League club.

 

The Sunday Times understands that more than one broker has been invited to source a buyer for Southampton at an asking price of about £250 million.

 

Achieving an enterprise value of around that level would allow Gao to leave English football at a sum similar to the amount the previous owner — Katharina Liebherr, who inherited the club from her late father — received for 80 per cent of Southampton’s shares in August 2017. Since Gao’s takeover the club have been repeatedly endangered by relegation, finishing 17th in 2017-18, and 16th last season. They are now seven points above the drop zone after yesterday’s 1-0 home loss to Newcastle United.

 

Gao has employed three managers — Mauricio Pellegrino, Mark Hughes and Ralph Hasenhüttl — two chief executives and seen Les Reed, an individual involved in generating significant profits from the transfer market, leave in a November 2018 move that Southampton said was designed to “provide new drive and direction to our football operations team and enable them to get results back on track”.

 

The club is yet to report financial results for the 2018-19 season but sources involved in finding a purchaser for Southampton expect these to be considerably less healthy than the £28.6 million profit declared last March. The club would have made a significant loss in 2017-18 had it not been for Virgil van Dijk’s record £75 million sale to Liverpool, while the ratio of wage to turnover rose to 74 per cent.

 

In the period since, Southampton have operated inefficiently in the transfer market and presently have a number of high-cost signings, such as Guido Carrillo, Wesley Hoedt and Mohamed Elyounoussi, on loan across Europe. A number of intermediaries have been lined up to try to raise revenue from transfer fees and reduce the player wage bill this summer.

 

Gao’s Shenzen-listed Lander Sports Development company reported a loss in 2018, leading the sexagenarian to sell the majority of his stake to a state-owned asset manager last March. In June he told the Financial Times that there were “no problems” with his financial situation.

 

“I am not treating Southampton as a pig to be fattened and sold,” Gao said. “I am treating it as a child. But my children must believe they cannot depend on the boss. I have said to Southampton: ‘I am now your father. But I am putting you on the right track — you need to feed yourself.’ ”

[fanimal]

Seeing as how we are owned by the Bank of China in reality you can see why in the current climate they are keen to call in some assets and add to their depleted funds

[Heisenberg]

[EBS1980]

RB Southampton

[hypochondriac]

Great so trying to lower the wage bill through sales. Only people really worth buying is hojbjerg, ings, Bertrand and maybe redmond.

[Matthew Le God]

Great so trying to lower the wage bill through sales. Only people really worth buying is hojbjerg, ings, Bertrand and maybe redmond.

 

For who? Every player in our squad would be wanted by someone. Lots of players you left out would fetch big fees. Even someone like Adams who hasn't done particularly well was attracting reported £20m bids in January.