Saints sold to Sport Republic

It was very strange that we were being rumoured as favourites to sign a 20m-rated teenager (Cho), and yet the rumours persisted throughout the whole of December.

Any 'marquee', if there is to be one, is more likely to be around this figure, than, say 50m.

 

I guess it depends on your definition of “statement”

If it is Broja or the goalkeeper we were all basically told we couldn’t afford until the summer then that would generally work well

The fear you are alluding to is of course it being like Osvaldo or Gaston

 

I think there is a difference between “marquee” and “statement” signing but maybe I am overthinking it

As mentioned above getting Chelsea to agree to sell a Broja permanently just 6 months into a 5 year deal is a statement of sorts. At least in how we may be intending to operate

 

£20m would very much be a statement signing for us these days!

 

We now have an owner whose name sounds like a badass character out of Game of Thrones.

 

And he has de-throned Gao the Pretender.

 

Wonder if this means an official announcement is due by 4pm

 

Sounds like Semmens, Steele and Crocker will all remain. New ownership group just putting a chairman above them to go between the ownership and the club's board. Seems eminently sensible to do that and take stock for the remainder of the season, if you ask me.

 

Yes, a future Balkan superstar (albeit born in Slough) would make sense for Soluk's United group!

 

I can't quite quote back to Jaspers post but ....
Nooooooo........

 

Radio Solent saying they will chat after 4pm about the takeover as the Official announcement is due at 4pm .


Arry as manager , Matt Taylor as the new signing .

Some of the above may not be 100% accurate …

 

Shame that Magilton turned us down

 

Ahh get in. Club doing everything right so far. No nonsense of months of rumours, the same day the rumours start we get an official announcement and interview to clarify exactly what is happening.

 

Sport Republic - about us: http://www.sportrepublic.com/about-us

 

Commenting on the agreement, the Lead Investor of Sport Republic, Dragan Šolak, said:

“My partners and I have experience in long-term investments in the sports and entertainment industry and Sport Republic has been founded to combine this expertise and deliver something unique to the market.

Southampton has so many of the qualities we have been looking for in a major sports organisation. It has a great management team, excellent talent development, talented teams playing attractive football and a dedicated fan base.

We are delighted to be able to complete this acquisition as a first step towards execution of our investment strategy. Southampton will be a cornerstone of the organisation we plan to build.”


The Chairman of Sport Republic, Henrik Kraft, added:

“We will be an active and engaged owner, but we will not be starting any revolutions. We were attracted to Southampton because it is already a well-run club that follows a clearly defined strategy.

“Southampton’s CEO Martin Semmens will continue to run the day-to-day operations of the club, and Sport Republic will be working closely with him and his team to help the club grow.

“Whilst Southampton is Sport Republic’s first acquisition, we expect more investments to follow over the coming years. Our ambition is to build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world.

“At the same time, we will also invest in early-stage sports technology companies and use our portfolio to accelerate the development of these companies. The acquisition of Southampton is a great first step and we are very excited about the journey ahead.”

 

Literally sounds perfect - they arent coming in to transform anything and are aware we are already well run but just lack resources and investment.

It also hints their will be a "moneyball" type strategy in play with the comment: "Sport Republic’s vision is to apply proprietary intelligence and data analytics to help sports businesses and sports technology companies reach their full potential."

Very excited about finally getting to see what Ralph and co can deliver with a little backing.

 

Martin Semmens, CEO of Southampton Football Club, said:

“Over the last two years, together with the shareholders of our club, we have searched for the right partner to take the club forward. Today we have found the perfect solution for our club.

“Sport Republic are experienced investors, but also experienced within the world of elite professional sports. That combination is very hard to find, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement that secures our short and long-term future.

“We are grateful for the support of Mr Gao and Katharina that allowed us to take our time, turn away the wrong options and ultimately find the right partner for the future of this great club, its fans, staff and the people of Southampton.

“Today we welcome a new beginning with a new ownership group. We have found partners with ambition for the future, but with a clear understanding of what Southampton stands for and the direction we must go in now. The strategy is to push forward with the plans we have had in place over the last two years, but with their support we can now do this with a renewed focus and speed. Continuity, stability, and clarity of the way forward are equally as important as the new initiatives and ideas we can now bring to the club.

“Sport Republic is being built to provide a network of people, clubs, and technology that allows the clubs within it to grow every day and gain the advantages you need to be successful. As a club, we have never wanted to buy success, but to earn it. Sport Republic gives us the power to improve our operations at every level, helping us to reach for the success our staff work so hard for, and our fans crave.

“Everyone at Southampton welcomes Dragan, Henrik, Rasmus and the people within Sport Republic to our great club. We searched the world for good people with the ambition and resources to lead us into the next era and I am happy to confirm we have found them. We can’t wait to get started and be part of the future of Sport Republic.”

 

My first reaction when I got a text from my Toon mate to check the news, was Serbian gangsters or ex war lords. There goes the moral high ground to look down on his team. Fit and proper owners for a football team? My a**e,