Strike 7,492 Posted May 24, 2024 Share Posted May 24, 2024 16 hours ago, Fernando said: Spoke a lot of sense. If it was because Poch wanted his way and be the boss, then ofsky is the right way. No way a manager will get that type of control unless your Pep. First season with Todd and Tuchel we saw what bad players we get when we go by the coach. I rather the club as a collective continue to buy, as for me they done good with buys after the first season disaster with Tuchel. And even if there was a manager who should be given more control, it certainly isn’t Poch. Fernando 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Armour 4,448 Posted May 24, 2024 Share Posted May 24, 2024 34 minutes ago, Strike said: I don’t think there’s an argument to be made that they don’t care. they’ve spent on the club without an idea of the money coming back. They obviously do care. Question is if they’re competent They've spent on the club to increase its resale value. That's why it's almost always about signing young players with potential, on long-term contracts. They're not bothered by the lack of any near-term success on the pitch. And they want a manager that buys into the same philosophy There's no doubt they intend to make a massive profit in about 7 years time, when its time for them to wrap up and sell the club. And to be fair, why wouldn't they? That's what most club owners are in it for, anyway. Especially a consortium like Clownlake. OneMoSalah and Fernando 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike 7,492 Posted May 25, 2024 Share Posted May 25, 2024 13 hours ago, Blue Armour said: They've spent on the club to increase its resale value. That's why it's almost always about signing young players with potential, on long-term contracts. They're not bothered by the lack of any near-term success on the pitch. And they want a manager that buys into the same philosophy There's no doubt they intend to make a massive profit in about 7 years time, when its time for them to wrap up and sell the club. And to be fair, why wouldn't they? That's what most club owners are in it for, anyway. Especially a consortium like Clownlake. That's a big leap. I don't think people purely working out profit would go out and buy two 100 million mids that lot of other clubs wanted too. And they've said their plan is eventually to build a 100 point team and not continue to keep this like a Dortmund-style young footballer project. I'm not arguing about their competence. But I don't buy that they're here to profit alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted May 25, 2024 Share Posted May 25, 2024 Bad omen: Production of beloved Chelsea candy will end after 50 years https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/15189803 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAPHOD2319 4,819 Posted May 28, 2024 Author Share Posted May 28, 2024 From the Gab and Jules podcast. A consortium that could fall apart Marcotti claimed that Boehly and the Clearlake duo of Eghbali and Feliciano “don’t see eye to eye.” “We’ve seen Boehly stepping back… they seem to be at odds… I think Boehly might fade into the background, maybe sell part of his stake or all of his stake. He’s not going to be visible,” the pundit continued. It’s an interesting take on things. Of course we hear so little from them it’s hard to get a read on what’s going on behind the scenes, but the reporting that Eghbali was anti-Pochettino while Boehly came out and publicly praised the coach recently certainly backs up Marcotti’s speculating that the two parties are pulling in different directions. Whether or not that leads Boehly to sell part of his stake or just take more of a passive role overall remains to be seen, but as Marcotti points out, the overwhelming financial might is with Clearlake. https://Chelsea.news/2024/05/110609/amp/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando 6,585 Posted May 28, 2024 Share Posted May 28, 2024 2 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said: From the Gab and Jules podcast. A consortium that could fall apart Marcotti claimed that Boehly and the Clearlake duo of Eghbali and Feliciano “don’t see eye to eye.” “We’ve seen Boehly stepping back… they seem to be at odds… I think Boehly might fade into the background, maybe sell part of his stake or all of his stake. He’s not going to be visible,” the pundit continued. It’s an interesting take on things. Of course we hear so little from them it’s hard to get a read on what’s going on behind the scenes, but the reporting that Eghbali was anti-Pochettino while Boehly came out and publicly praised the coach recently certainly backs up Marcotti’s speculating that the two parties are pulling in different directions. Whether or not that leads Boehly to sell part of his stake or just take more of a passive role overall remains to be seen, but as Marcotti points out, the overwhelming financial might is with Clearlake. https://Chelsea.news/2024/05/110609/amp/ It's the same info that Vesper posted in the long video. Vesper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEVINAA 129 Posted August 19, 2024 Share Posted August 19, 2024 Vesper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulham Broadway 17,332 Posted August 21, 2024 Share Posted August 21, 2024 Chelsea shambles has turned USA investors away from buying Premier League clubs - Report Chelsea are a laughing stock. Since buying the club for £2.5bn and pledging another £1.75bn in further club investment, Todd Boehly and friends have presided over a total shambles. Since the takeover in 2022, it has taken them only two years to reach spending of £1.5bn+ on signing players, including another quarter of a billion (so far!) in this current summer window. The news of the laughable Chelsea shambles has now reached over the pond, with a special Bloomberg report (see below) now detailing how American investors have seen what’s happened at the Stamford Bridge circus and are now seeing Premier League clubs as not such a good idea. So many American ‘investors’ already in play in England, with around half the Premier League clubs and some 30+ overall of the 92 clubs in the four divisions having significant USA ownership/control. The reality is that only four of the Premier League clubs in the 2022/23 season (the most recent available figures for all clubs) made a profit. You can see why our friends across the pond might be getting cold feet, when over in the United States, their major sports are arranged with the specific aim of everybody making as much money as possible. Things such as the threat of relegation a very foreign concept. The Bloomberg report also notes the ever increasing competition at the top end of the Premier League, with the reality now being that whilst there are only four automatic places for Champions League qualification, there are arguably now at least twice as many teams as there are places, vying for those positions. Reuters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted August 21, 2024 Share Posted August 21, 2024 50 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said: turned USA investors away from buying Premier League clubs GOOD!!!! Fulham Broadway and bigbluewillie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted September 2, 2024 Share Posted September 2, 2024 Even assuming Chelsea: - had the property sale in 22/23 approved at full value - found the c£100m profit from other non-mens football intra group sales in 23/24 - somehow pull in £35m for a front of shirt sponsor for this season or can recognise £35m for the Club World Cup in 24/25's accounts - win the Europa Conference but don't have significant additional incentives to pay (generating a net £30m) - otherwise get to £500m revenue for 24/25 I have them still needing around £75m of additional non-operating profit (player or other profits) AFTER this window to hit 24/25 PSR. Which given previous years, would be an achievement... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted September 4, 2024 Share Posted September 4, 2024 Win for Todd Boehly Premier League clear Chelsea's controversial £76.5m hotel sale in major PSR boost Chelsea were handed a significant boost from the Premier League in their bid to avoid breaching Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules. https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/todd-boehly-premier-league-Chelsea-controversial-76-million-hotel-sale-psr/bltcd59984c93485e3a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhForAGreavsie 6,077 Posted September 5, 2024 Share Posted September 5, 2024 On 15/05/2024 at 16:35, Vytis33 said: Todd doesn’t know who Eden Hazard is? First time I've seen this. It's sickening. bigbluewillie and Fulham Broadway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulham Broadway 17,332 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Hes a ticket tout... ''A website co-owned by Todd Boehly is involved in the “unauthorised” resale of tickets to Chelsea matches and other Premier League games to foreign tourists, Telegraph Sport can reveal. Vivid Seats, a US-based online marketplace of which Boehly is both an investor and director, does not allow fans based in Britain to buy or sell tickets – a practice which would be illegal.'' Sometimes they get punched outside SB..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEVINAA 129 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 TODD BOEHLY BOUGHT TRENT ROCKETS FROM CRICKET THE HUNDRED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 Todd Boehly brushes off Chelsea fan criticism as ‘par for the course’ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6164691/2025/02/27/todd-boehly-Chelsea-supporters/ Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has brushed off fans’ criticism as “par for the course” and refused to guarantee the club’s ownership structure will be the same this time next year. Speaking to a packed room at the Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit in London on Thursday evening, Boehly also said strikers are hard to sign and that you cannot find them in a “grocery store”. Before Chelsea’s game against Southampton on Tuesday night, around 200 supporters protested against Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership of the club. The protest included negative chants towards Boehly and Clearlake Capital and positive songs for Roman Abramovich, the club’s former owner. GO DEEPER Fan discontent at Stamford Bridge makes Chelsea's biggest challenge clearer than ever “I just think it is par for the course,” Boehly said when asked about the fans’ unrest. “The sooner you learn you are not going to keep all the people happy all the time, the freedom shows up. “We are just trying to execute a plan and recognise things aren’t linear, and we are trending in the right direction. The trend is moving in the right direction and that’s the thing that really matters. “In June, it will be three years in charge. That’s not a lot of time. It’s a whirlwind of activity and a steep learning curve, but I think that’s also a good thing.” Boehly was also asked about the state of his relationship with Clearlake Capital, the club’s majority shareholder and co-founder Behdad Eghbali. The Athletic reported at the beginning of September that the relationship was in tatters. “I can’t predict the future,” Boehly said when asked if the ownership structure will look the same this time next year. “We have agreed on a strategy and a way forward and stuff is getting done.” Boehly was asked if he would buy Chelsea in the same way again knowing what he knows now. “I don’t look in the rear-view mirror,” he said. Boehly was speaking at the Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit in London on Thursday (Credit: Dan Sheldon) Boehly and Clearlake have spent more than £1billion on transfer fees since acquiring the club in June 2022 and have signed players on long-term deals, some up to eight years. One advantage of such contracts was that Chelsea could amortise the transfer fee over the length of that deal. However, fellow Premier League clubs voted through a limit on the number of years the cost of a transfer fee can be spread, in relation to a contract, to five years. “Yeh, a seven-year contract is really a five-year contract,” Boehly said when asked about their squad-building policies. “The reality is, 95 per cent of the time, you’re going to have to make a decision, or you shoot yourself in the foot. So you either are able to come to terms and agree to an extension or you agree there’s greener pastures out there and that’s the business you’re in and that’s life. I think that that’s the the reality of the model.” Boehly, who is also co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, then went on to speak about the importance of a “superstar captain” with great sporting sides across sports. “When you read about the teams that are the dynasties over the years, they had superstar captains that really led them and what you’re trying to find is, you know, how do I find that superstar captain?” During the wide-ranging discussion that included his thoughts on how the Premier League should sell its media rights and whether an independent regulator is good for football. He was also asked about building a squad of players. Boehly was questioned on what he believes has been the most misunderstood part of his and Clearlake Capital’s ownership of the club. “I think the most misunderstood thing is that we’re thinking about it as measured in years and and you’ve got to think both short and long term,” Boehly said. “But we’re focused on the combination of both of them and seeking the best possible way to execute on that. It’s a balancing act in order to figure out how to do it. “Strikers are hard to find, right? You don’t go into the grocery store and say, ‘I am going to get a striker’. It is an amazing skill set and you have to have the right mentality.” “When you read about the teams that are the dynasties over the years, right, they had superstar captains that really led them and what you’re trying to find is, you know, how do I find that superstar captain.” Chelsea are next in action next Thursday against Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League last-16 first leg. They are currently fifth in the Premier League. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Chelsea fans call for Premier League to take action over Boehly’s connection to ticket resale site https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6232453/2025/03/26/Chelsea-fans-boehly-vivid-seats/ The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) has written to Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, regarding Todd Boehly’s involvement with Vivid Seats. Boehly, a minority shareholder and chairman at Chelsea, is a director at Vivid Seats, a website that allows the resale of Premier League match tickets — including to Chelsea games — for thousands of pounds above face value. The American ticketing company is listed on the Premier League’s website as an “unauthorised ticket website”, with the league urging fans to “exercise extreme caution” when using it and other ticket exchange companies. In the open letter sent to Masters, the CST penned that “Mr Boehly’s connection with Vivid Seats is totally inappropriate and significantly undermines the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting”. A CST spokesperson described Boehly’s connection to Vivid Seats as a “breach of trust” and a “clear conflict of interest”. “Vivid Seats continues to list Premier League tickets for above face value at significantly inflated rates,” a CST spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “Not only does this undermine the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting, but Vivid Seats contravenes the Chelsea FC ticketing policy, and is explicitly named by the Premier League as a known unauthorised ticket website. “We believe that now is the time for the Premier League to act swiftly and ensure that a major shareowner of a Premier League club ceases facilitating the sale of tickets for significantly above face value.” (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Tickets advertised on Vivid Seats for Chelsea’s upcoming game against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on April 3 range from £144 to over £2,000, while tickets for the match at home to Liverpool on May 2 are priced between £442 and over £3,200. UK-based supporters are unable to use Vivid Seats or other ticket exchange sites similar to it to buy tickets to top-flight games due it being against British law to resell tickets in this manner. The CST’s letter to Masters was supported by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), who said, “It is clear the Premier League needs to take action.” “Clubs, supporters’ groups, the police and the Premier League itself has worked hard in recent years to combat ticket touting – there is no excuse for a club owner to be involved in such activity,” a spokesperson for the FSA said. What You Should Read Next Premier League fans are revolting – but for very different reasons Tensions that have simmered for months are threatening to boil over as the season reaches its climax Boehly has co-owned Chelsea with Clearlake Capital since May 2022, and his Eldridge Industries private investment firm invested in Vivid Seats in 2021. The American billionaire has been a director at Vivid Seats since the investment, meaning he passed the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test with them knowing about his involvement. In February 2024, Chelsea posted on its official website that they are “committed to tackling ticket touting”. “We identify individuals who fraudulently harvest tickets/memberships to sell at vastly inflated prices, investigate both online and offline illegal ticket sales, and use a range of tactics and enforcement measures that help to combat ticket touting,” the statement read. “Supporters found to be selling their ticket for more than face value will be subject to a club investigation and sanctions.” bigbluewillie and Fulham Broadway 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Todd Boehly now says he could sell Chelsea for a profit amid twist in £2.5bn Clearlake takeover row https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/todd-boehly-now-says-he-could-sell-Chelsea-for-a-profit-amid-twist-in-2-5bn-clearlake-takeover-row/ Ask anyone in sports business about Chelsea’ Todd Boehly and they’ll tell you he is a visionary who can see around corners and is a hawk when it comes to smart investments. It’s a characterisation that is oceans apart from how the private equity titan is portrayed in the British press, where he is seen as the bumbling, bombastic American bulldog with more money than sense. The truth is somewhere between the two extremes. Todd Boehly’s record at Chelsea has been far from flattering but you don’t get where he has without a potent mix of ruthlessness, genius and humility. Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images As far as billionaires go, Boehly is pretty self-made. He is from a relatively affluent background, yes, but now presides over a highly diversified empire of sports, insurance and tech assets worth £6.5bn. That includes his 13 per cent stake in Chelsea, who he bought in a consortium with Clearlake Capital in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth – the headlines said – £4.25bn. In reality, the transaction with Roman Abramovich – or the representatives handling the sale after his assets were frozen by the UK government – was worth far less than that. Chelsea ownership diagram Credit: Adam Williams/GRV Media/The Chelsea Chronicle Incidentally, the proceeds from that sale, which were earmarked for humanitarian causes, are still frozen in a UK escrow account to this day. At £4.25bn, the takeover would have been the most expensive in sports history at the time, but the value quoted in the press was a fugazi. £1.75bn of that figure was ringfenced for investment in the Blues and did not change hands in the deal, which saw Boehly’s fellow private equity titans Behdad Eghbali and Mark Walter buy into the club too. How Chelsea’s owners rank among football’s richest Club owner Rank in top 500 richest people Net worth Club(s) Bernard Arnault 4 $189B Paris FC Mark Mateschitz 80 $23.4B Red Bull clubs Stan Kroenke 85 $22.8B Arsenal, Colorado Rapids Philip Anschutz 86 $22.8B Los Angeles Galaxy David Tepper 87 $22.4B Charlotte FC Francois Pinault 90 $22.1B Stade Rennais Dietmar Hopp 112 $18.4B 1899 Hoffenheim Jim Ratcliffe 200 $12.4B Man United, Nice, Lausanne Hansjoerg Wyss 218 $11.9B Chelsea, Strasbourg Josh Harris 224 $11.7B Crystal Palace Simon Reuben 227 $11.5B Newcastle United David Reuben 228 $11.5B Newcastle United Dmitry Rybolovlev 246 $11.1B AS Monaco Mark Walter 252 $10.9B Chelsea, Strasbourg Dan Friedkin 253 $10.9B AS Roma, AS Cannes, Everton Shahid Khan 307 $9.33B Fulham Nassef Sawiris 324 $8.95B Aston Villa, Vitoria Daniel Kretinsky 402 $7.69B West Ham, Sparta Prague Joe Lewis 405 $7.66B Tottenham Todd Boehly 426 $7.28B Chelsea FC, Strasbourg Richest private owners in football, Sourced from Bloomberg Billionaires Index A fair whack of that cash has been injected into Chelsea via equity to cover operating expense and the gargantuan, £1bn recruitment drive that the new owners have sanctioned over the last three years. Chelsea have also taken out £500m worth of debt with Ares, one of the world’s biggest investment firms who, by extension, effectively have a place in the club’s corporate structure despite owning no shares. The club also has almost £500m worth of transfer debt and – in the story of the week – will at some point need possible three or four times that to build a new stadium or expand Stamford Bridge. Chelsea matchday income and planned stadium capacity infographic Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images In short, Chelsea have spent heavily and have more or less committed to spending even more heavily in the future, with all of the anxiety in terms of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that entails. Granted, Enzo Maresca, Laurence Steward and Paul Winstanley have droves of young talent tied down to long-term deals, locking in their value. If latest signing Geovany Quenda comes good, for example, the Blues have protected themselves with the 17-year-old’s seven-year deal and can finesse their player trading model on that basis. But this model – lobbied for by Boehly in his role as chairman – places a huge amount of faith in a recruitment strategy which, to date, has had very mixed results. The above is a roundabout way of saying that Chelsea are probably in a worse place since the takeover, though Boehly’s latest comments suggests he believes different. READ MORE: Chelsea youngster ranked as second best teenager in world football, only Lamine Yamal is better Todd Boehly says Chelsea now worth more than before Clearlake takeover Since May 2022, Boehly’s public appearances as the face of Chelsea have become more and more frequent, despite some reports suggesting he is essentially a lame duck as chairman. In his latest outing, Boehly spoke to Bloomberg about the rift between his ownership faction and Clearlake, which he says is exaggerated, as well as the future of Stamford Bridge. The main headline, of course, centred on the future direction of the ownership. “The status quo” is a fine place to be, he said, but also suggested that the stadium plans could see Clearlake and he go their separate ways in time. Interestingly on that topic, Boehly believes, if he was to sell his stake to Eghbali or anyone else tomorrow, he could actually get a markup on the £2.5bn deal the consortium completed three years ago. “I think the trend is our friend in this industry,” the 51-year-old, whose club has lost almost £400m since the takeover, told Bloomberg. Rank Club Value 1-yr change Owners 17 Manchester United $6.2B +4% Glazer family 18 Real Madrid $6.06B +16% Club members 35 FC Barcelona $5.28B +7% Club members 40 Liverpool $5.11B +8% Fenway Sports Group 46 Bayern Munich $4.8B +8% Club members 51 Manchester City $4.75B +7% Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan 61 Paris Saint-Germain $4.05B +19% Qatar Sports Investment 65 Arsenal $3.91B +9% Stan Kroenke 74 Tottenham Hotspur $3.49B +9% Joe Lewis family trust, Daniel Levy 75 Chelsea $3.47B ±0% Todd Boehley, Clearlake Capital Source: Sportico top 100 most valuable clubs “The opportunity to try and grow the fanbase around the world is big. Unlike American sports, we have the ability to grow internationally and grow our own revenue base on top of that. “So I think the opportunity is enormous. The Premier League is sitting in a great place. One of the great things – and one of the frustrating things – is that the Premier League is becoming so competitive. The depth in the quality of the teams are unlike any other league in the world. It [value] is not derivative of whether or not they won last year. This is a club that just celebrated its 120th anniversary. “I would say, yes [it’s more valuable than we paid for it].” READ MORE: Chelsea now want to sign two Real Madrid stars for £105m, Todd Boehly pulled out of a deal for one them in the past Chelsea in mix for £130m Club World Cup prize, John Terry hails ‘mega’ finance opportunity To justify a valuation of £2.5bn and well beyond, there will need to be some pretty fundamental changes both at Chelsea and the wider football ecosystem. The arms race that has taken place in the transfer ecosystem and retention and market means costs have spiralled much faster than revenues have risen – and more so at Chelsea than most. One new revenue source that can help offset this and bolster the Blues’ PSR situation is the new-fangled Club World Cup, which Maresca will take his side to in the United States in the summer. Chelsea’s Club World Cup draw Group Team 1 Team 2 Team 2 Team 4 Group A Palmeiras FC Porto Al-Ahly Inter Miami Group B Paris Saint-Germain Atlético Madrid Botafogo Seattle Sounders Group C Bayern Munich Auckland City Boca Juniors Benfica Group D Flamengo Espérance Sportive de Tunisie Chelsea Club León Group E River Plate Urawa Red Diamonds Monterrey Inter Milan Group F Fluminense Borussia Dortmund Ulsan Mamelodi Sundowns Group G Manchester City Wydad Al-Ain Juventus Group H Real Madrid Al-Hilal Pachuca RB Salzburg Club World Cup group stage draw This week, FIFA have confirmed that a staggering £780m will be shared among the 32 participants in prize money, with that pot weighted towards European clubs like Chelsea. If Chelsea go all the way in the knockout tournament, they will take home the lion’s share of £130m. It’s a monumental prize fund which, fundamentally, has essentially been artificially created by Saudi Arabia. Former Chelsea captain John Terry has been on the ambassadorial circuit for FIFA recently and, echoing the sentiments of Didier Drogba a few months ago, has talked up the financial opportunity for clubs. “This is an opportunity that financially is mega for every club involved, let alone if you go on and win it,” Terry told talkSPORT last week. “To participate, it’s big financials. “I think we have to be careful in terms of player welfare and stuff like that because being ex-players, we have to support that. “Can there be a break mid-season? I think there should be. You played two, three games a week around the Christmas period and it’s really busy. “Then in February, March, April, you play Saturday, Saturday, Saturday. You could easily just throw a couple of games in there as well. “But I think in terms of players, like for me, six years retired, I’d love to still be playing. I’d love to go back and say, ‘I wish I had 60, 65 games a season.'” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Chelsea FC owner in talks over bid for the Daily Telegraph Todd Boehly is understood to be talking to David Montgomery, the executive chair of National World https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/28/Chelsea-fc-owner-may-make-bid-for-owner-of-scotsman-and-yorkshire-post The Chelsea FC owner and chair Todd Boehly is in talks over a bid for the Daily Telegraph, in a plan that has seen him team up with the Fleet Street veteran David Montgomery. Boehly is understood to be talking to Montgomery, the executive chair of National World and former boss of the parent of the Mirror, about mounting a bid, in an attempt to bring an end to two years of uncertainty over the newspaper’s fate. The Guardian understands that the prospect of a takeover by Montgomery is causing concern inside the Telegraph. He has a reputation as a cost-cutter, though allies say he has decades of experience in the industry and has managed to keep National World profitable in a tough media climate. “Everyone here knows that if Montgomery got his hands on the Telegraph, it’s game over for us,” said a Telegraph source. “He wouldn’t know how to take the Telegraph forward but then again he wouldn’t want to. How sad.” The bid for the Telegraph would involve Boehly’s Eldridge Media Holdings (EMH) first making a successful pitch to buy National World, which owns the Yorkshire Post and the Scotsman. The group owns more than 100 regional titles. It is the latest episode in the long-running saga of the Telegraph’s ownership. RedBird IMI, which derives most of its funding from Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the vice-president of the UAE and owner of Manchester City football club, paid £600m to take control of Telegraph Media Group in November 2023 from the Barclay family. However, RedBird IMI was forced to put the titles back up for sale last spring after the British government published legislation to block foreign states or associated individuals from owning newspaper assets in the UK. Dovid Efune, the British owner of the New York Sun, had several weeks of exclusivity late last year to push through a £550m deal to buy the titles. However, Efune has so far failed to raise the financial backing to get the deal over the line and RedBird IMI is pursuing talks with other potential bidders. It has also been reported that Maurice Saatchi, the advertising mogul, had unsuccessfully offered to buy the Telegraph newspapers for £350m. Other parties previously thought to be interested in the titles include the Daily Mail and General Trust, and Paul Marshall, the hedge fund founder and backer of GB News who went on to buy the Spectator magazine from RedBird IMI for £100m. Montgomery’s National World, which was an underbidder in the protracted auction of the Telegraph titles, is in the process of a shareholder-approved £65m takeover by its largest investor, Media Concierge. National World said it had received confirmation that EMH was considering making a proposal to buy the company. “The company acknowledges, for the purposes of the takeover code, that it is in receipt of an approach from EMH regarding a possible offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of the company,” said National World in a statement to the stock market on Friday. “The National World board will consider the terms of any proposal put forward by EMH that may deliver superior value to National World shareholders than the scheme [of arrangement relating to the current sale process].” National World’s shares rose 7% on Friday, valuing the company at £62m. Boehly and Montgomery have been in talks about a potential deal that would combine National World and the Telegraph titles, and also involve other third-party backers. While analysts have been sceptical about the £500m price tag that RedBird IMI have placed on the Telegraph titles, sources close to the talks said such a deal could yet be possible, depending on the structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,219 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 The LA Dodgers now have 8 wins versus no losses best start ever in baseball history for a defending champion Fernando 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando 6,585 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 1 hour ago, Vesper said: The LA Dodgers now have 8 wins versus no losses best start ever in baseball history for a defending champion Took a while though before they was this good from the moment Todd bought them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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