Puel in dark as China firm eyes Saints
Print Edition
SOUTHAMPTON manager Claude Puel said on Wednesday he was in the dark about reported takeover talks between the English Premier League club and Chinese company Lander Sports Development.
“I have no idea about the situation,” Puel, who took over from Ronald Koeman in June on a three-year contract, said ahead of Southampton’s home Europa League match against Chinese-owned Inter Milan last night.
“I give all my confidence to the president and the people at the club to do things in a good way.”
There was no comment from Southampton on the Bloomberg report that Lander was in exclusive talks with the south coast club.
The agency quoted unnamed ‘people familiar with the situation’ as saying Swiss owner Katharina Liebherr had been engaged in the talks for several weeks and the price could be as much as 200 million pounds (US$245.72 million).
Chinese buyers have become increasingly involved in English soccer, with investment group Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development Ltd sealing a takeover of Premier League West Bromwich Albion in September.
Second tier Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City are all in Chinese ownership.
Hong Kong-listed GreaterChina Professional Services Ltd, an asset advisory and advertising services firm, said on Wednesday that it had a non-exclusive memorandum of understanding with Premier League Hull City.
Also, a group of Chinese businessmen has agreed to buy struggling French top-flight side Nancy with the ambition of driving it into the Champions League, the club announced.
“Their objective is to be in the Champions League in three to four years,” said Nancy president Jacques Rousselot. “That’s the reason why I believe in this group ... future budgets will be around 100-120 million euros (US$110-132 million).”
Michel Platini, considered France’s best ever player, spent seven seasons at Nancy. The club, currently 19th in Ligue 1 after having spent three seasons in the second division, is the latest of a number of French teams to attract Chinese interest.
Second division Sochaux and Auxerre have been taken over by Chinese tycoons while top-flight Lyon and Nice have welcomed Chinese investment.
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