Doubts rise over Chinese takeover of Southampton
By Ethan Evans
Some recent breaking news suggests that the arranged Chinese takeover of Southampton by Lander Sports has hit a roadblock.
This comes after a recent Daily Mail report which states that Katharina Liebherr has doubts over selling any stake in Southampton to interested party Lander Sports.
It goes on to inform that the Saints owner has second thoughts on the suitability of the Chinese group. This comes after recent speculation of corruption where a takeover was subsequently blocked by the Premier League hierarchy in April of this year.
"”It is not clear at the moment. The seller is having second thoughts about selling the club” – Gao Jisheng, Lander Sports founder"
Everything seemed to have been going well with talks having been described as ‘promising’. Speculation that a move was close to completion started to build when Liebherr resigned from the board recently.
However, everything seems to be very much up in the air at the moment. With questions over whether the Chinese outfit was sufficient enough to take Saints to new heights, Katharina can’t take any risks and needs assurances that whoever is to come in is effective and dependable.
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Liebherr wants what is best for Southampton, whatever decision she makes will be in the best interests of the club.
Additionally, a takeover may not be needed after years of progression and success. With two seasons of European football under our belt in four/five years of Premier League football, a takeover could be detrimental.
In order to progress, a takeover of the club could be imperative to take those steps forward. Football has changed significantly and the current financial status of the P emier League is ludicrous.
The possible Chinese takeover could deliver a mass influx of capital which would help both short-term and the long-term. Our current business model can be questioned as it is not sustainable. Many fans feel that all the sales of key players will slowly catch up to us. Therefore we may need to change strategy to show more ambition to move onwards and upwards.