Saints enter partnership with GAO family

A letter to the fans of Southampton Football Club from Katharina Liebherr...

I am pleased to confirm that talks to bring in a new partner to our club have been concluded.

Following extensive and fruitful work, we are entering into a partnership with the Gao family and I am excited about what we will achieve together.

Today is the start of a new and exciting chapter for our club. Mr Jisheng Gao and his daughter, Mrs Nelly Gao, with whom I have built a close relationship, share our values and ambitions. As a team, we will strive to build upon the strong foundation that is in place towards sustainable long-term success.

Mr Gao, Nelly and I have full trust in Ralph Krueger and his management team. We wholeheartedly support their plans to follow the Southampton Way in the years ahead.

But for now it is business as usual at Southampton Football Club and we must allow everyone at the club to focus on the first few weeks of the new season.

I would like to thank the passionate supporters of the club for their ongoing loyalty and faith, and I look forward to seeing you soon at St Mary's.

We March On.

Katharina Liebherr

Statement from Mr Jisheng Gao

I am honoured and humbled to become a partner of Southampton Football Club alongside Katharina Liebherr, who, together with her father, has been such a great steward of the club, its growth and success.

Together, we have the passion and motivation to build on Southampton’s excellent progress in recent years as we look forward to an exciting next chapter for the club.

 

Removed to prevent duplicate wall of text.

 

Mods feel free to merge this with DTLW's thread.

 

Looking forward to see this play out now.

 

Looks like you beat him to it so he will have to merge with you.

 

Spend all the money

 

Wont take long then!

 

I think we've all had our say on this. I can't deny I am a bit wary and hope Katharina has made the right decision. I have everything crossed.

 

I think we'd all like to think and hope that, with Southampton FC being an investment made and loved by Markus (RIP), she will not enter a partnership with anyone unless they were going to give the same care for the club as Markus and herself did.

Looking forward to the new era.

 

NOT THROUGH LANDER SPORTS.

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This is what I really hope. Let's see what happens. When does the transfer window close?

 

Fantastic news. I would like some more details now. Are we now rich? Are we now spending? Surely this kind of deal gets accompanied by a, ahem, marquee signing?

 

Here's our new majority shareholder.

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Can we bid for Messi?

 

Doesn't he have less money than Kat? I do not know the details?

Also if he is primarily real estate wealth I wonder how stable that is? I would imagine Chinese real estate is a more stable market than western

 

Gao Jisheng: "I am honoured and humbled to become a partner of Southampton Football Club alongside Katharina Liebherr, who, together with her father, has been such a great steward of the club, its growth and its success.

Together, we have the passion and motivation to build on Southampton’s excellent progress in recent years as we look forward to an exciting next chapter for the club."

 

He's got the wrong colour tie on. Gao out

 

Worth just under £2bn apparently.

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/15472177.Saints_Chinese_takeover_completed/

80% as expected.