News that Southampton might be the next club to fall under the ownership of Chinese investors broke at the close of January 2017, but is it a good thing? According to reports, Lander Sports Development, a Chinese company that specialises in stadium development, has struck a deal with Saints’ owner Katharina Liebherr.
After inheriting the club following the death of her father, Liebherr hasn’t exactly proved she’s interested in continuing his legacy. Immediately after taking the helm, the German made 31 employees redundant and has been accused by many of failing to lead the club in a positive or defined direction.
Solid Performances, but More Could be Done
Now, it has to be said that Southampton aren’t exactly playing poorly in the Premier League. A recent 4-0 win at Sunderland was enough to keep them 11th in the table after 25 games, but there’s clearly still room for improvement. For example, in the side’s 2-1 loss to Swansea on January 31, Southampton scored just one goal from 10 attempts (10% ratio). Although the players put together more passes than Swansea (582 vs. 441), much of the movement came down the right-hand side of the pitch.
With clear gaps on the left and a lack of shots hitting the back of the net, there are many areas where Southampton could improve. Of course, you often need money to improve and with a seemingly disinterested owner unwilling to spend, it’s hard to see where these changes are going to come from. With this being the case, news that a Chinese investment group is interested in a takeover should be welcome.
Naturally, when football fans think of Chinese buyout, they often relive the nightmare Birmingham City had. After Carson Yeung became the first Chinese owner of an English club, his reign not only ended with the club being demoted to the second tier of English football, but he was later arrested in 2014 for money laundering. To top it all off, his supposed mission to make Birmingham City a well-known club in China appeared to fail almost as spectacularly as his ownership skills.
It’s Not All Bad News
Of course, with $2 billion invested by Chinese consortiums over the years, there are going to be some success stories. Manchester City is the obvious example. Yes, it’s true they haven’t won the Premier League since CMC took over in 2015, but they haven’t fallen from grace either. Indeed, despite sitting fifth in the Premier League after 24 games, the bookies still give them a better chance of dethroning Chelsea than anyone else.
According to the latest lines at SunBets, if you exclude Chelsea (at 1/6), City are favourites to win the Premier League at 9/1. Not only that, but with a two-point cushion over their closest rivals, CMC’s new football-shaped toy is 1/5 on to finish in the top four. In fact, add to that a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League and it’s clear that Chinese investment hasn’t negatively impacted City.
For Southampton fans, news of a deal shouldn’t be seen as a mistake. Although there’s a chance things will go the way they did at Birmingham City because the owners get bored with their new investment, it has to be better than the status quo. Liebherr finds herself in a position she never really asked to be in and it shows. The January transfer window saw manager Claude Puel spend just £14.45 million on Manolo Gabbiadini and scoop up keeper Mouez Hassen on a free.
Southampton Are Right to Swap Indifference for Potential
Although summer spending was a little more active, four of the eight players brought in didn’t cost a penny, while the most expensive signing was midfielder Sofiane Boufal at £15.90 million. Naturally, with a Chinese investor on board, a few imports from China will arrive, but so will some extra cash. This money could be used to enhance the attacking deficiencies we’ve already highlighted.
For all intents and purposes, Liebherr isn’t prepared to spend much more money on her father’s folly, so the time could be right for a new owner to come in and inject some much needed life into the Saints.
Author Bio:
Dan Smyth is a sports betting a poker writer with more than a decade of experience in the industry. Today, Dan spends his time compiling match previews, boxing and MMA reports as well as poker news pieces.