Dragan aims to fire Saints after £200m takeover

Billionaire Serb seals Southampton deal

SOUTHAMPTON have ended their search for new owners after a group led by a Serbian billionaire bought a £200million controlling stake in the Premier League club.

Sport Republic have bought Gao Jisheng’s 80 per cent majority shareholding and have promised to make Southampton a ‘cornerstone’ of the group of clubs they plan to buy.

They aim to follow their opening purchase by creating a network similar to those of the City Group, who own Manchester City, and the Red Bull group, whose clubs include Germany’s RB Leipzig and Austria’s RB Salzburg.

Dragan Solak, founder of telecoms and media firm United Group, who has a personal fortune of more than £1bn, will be Sport Republic’s lead investor.

Rasmus Ankersen, former FC Midtjylland chairman and Brentford director of football, will be the group’s CEO. He left those jobs last month after masterminding historic rises at both clubs.

Another Dane, London-based investor Henrik Kraft, is Sport Republic’s chairman and he and Ankersen are set for roles on the Southampton board.

Solak, a keen golfer described as a serial entrepreneur, said: ‘Southampton will be a cornerstone of the organisation we plan to build.’

Kraft added: ‘We will be an active and engaged owner. Our ambition is to build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world. Southampton is a great first step.’

Southampton’s squad were told about the developments and potentially exciting times ahead yesterday morning, after CEO Martin Semmens met manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and captain James Ward-Prowse to inform them that new owners were on the way.

Katharina Liebherr retains her 20 per cent stake and Semmens will continue to be in charge of the club’s day-to-day running.

Gao became Southampton’s majority shareholder in August 2017 when he paid around £210m for 80 per cent of the club.

However, the Chinese tycoon has been keen to sell up for some time with those efforts intensifying following the outbreak of Covid, when it became increasingly difficult to take money out of his homeland.

A deal with former Bordeaux owner Joseph DaGrosa was close at one stage last year but ultimately failed to materialise. The stalled process while Saints searched for a suitable buyer capable of paying the asking price amid the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has held up their hopes of progressing on the pitch.

Hasenhuttl has managed to keep the club afloat in the Premier League.

However, the lack of investment in the squad has been reflected by their fall out of the top 10 in the last four seasons after four successive top-half campaigns.

Kraft insisted that they would not be starting any ‘revolutions’, but Sport Republic’s takeover has brought renewed excitement at Southampton about what the future may hold.

Solak has transformed United Group from a ‘small cable operator in Central Serbia’ into a leader in south-east Europe in the telecommunication and media sectors.

UG Telecom deliver broadband, mobile and pay-TV services to more than 40million people across eight countries.

Along with Solak’s personal wealth, United Group make over €2bn a year.