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Post by dorf on Sept 8, 2016 11:24:11 GMT
They've been working on a deal for 38 years?!
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 15, 2016 16:38:49 GMT
After months of red tape, it has been confirmed that the West Brom takeover is finally complete. The saga has been stretching for longer than most would have preferred with fans growing very impatient in that period. Fear no more, Albion have now been sold to a Chinese investment group headed by Guochuan Lai. Sports Development
Guochuan Lai, 42, the controlling shareholder in Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development. He has developed his wealth within a booming Chinese economy.
First statement Guochuan Lai says: “I am excited and privileged to have the chance to become the new owner of this great Club. My immediate priorities will be to maintain the Club’s stable structure, respecting its well-run nature and its heritage. I have no intention of changing the Club’s ethos."
Long term fan Guochuan Lai claims to have been following Albion since 1978 when he became aware of the club through contacts who participated in the 1978 tour of China. He was still a child at this point. Bring Albion to new fans The new owner believes that due to strong management and finances, the club is in a big position to develop a huge fan base in China.
The country's interest in football is at an all-time high and the government are even investing in making China a footballing superpower. He's the first mainland Chinese owner of a Premier League club, so he should know where to start. No big promises With the Villa takeover came promises of turning the club into one of the biggest in the world. Not so here. Guochuan Lai insists the focus is first on remaining in the Premier League and then establishing the club in the top half long term. He does, however, say he will be focusing on the transfer window.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Oct 19, 2016 10:36:23 GMT
West Bromwich Albion owner Guochuan Lai is expected to tweak the club's board of directors to accommodate at least one director to represent him. Guochuan flew to the UK over the weekend to take in his second West Brom game and first since his £175 million takeover was rubber-stamped last month. The Chinese millionaire is understood to have proposed plans to tinker with the executive tier. The positions of Chief Executive Mark Jenkins, director of football administration Richard Garlick and technical director Nick Hammond are not under threat. It's thought Guochuan merely wants to add sufficient representation to reflect the club's new ownership rather than make wholesale changes. "My intention is to maintain the current ethos in terms of day-to-day management and approach to the team and to supplement this with the great opportunities that China provides," Guochuan said after his proposed takeover was announced in August. "My plan is to add to, rather than radically change the workings of the Club." It's not yet clear whether Weilin Yin, CEO of the Yunyi Investment Group which bought West Bromwich Albion Holdings Limited from Peace, will be one of the candidates Guochuan puts forward. The topic of new directors will be addressed when the board meets in the next fortnight. Guochuan receives regular updates from Chairman John Williams, who replaced Jeremy Peace under the new hierarchy, and the pair met on Friday night to discuss the club's strategy moving forward. The owner spoke with head coach Tony Pulis for around ten minutes before the 1-1 draw with Spurs and went down to the dressing room after the match to congratulate the manager and the players. Guochuan and his associates then took out a number of West Brom's most senior staff, including Jenkins, Garlick and Hammond, for a meal on Saturday night before jetting back to China. The four leading football clubs in the West Midlands are now under Chinese control. Dr Tony Xia sealed his takeover of Aston Villa in June while Wolverhampton Wanderers was acquired by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International the following month. And the clean sweep came earlier this week when Chinese firm Trillion Trophy Asia, controlled by businessman Paul Suen, completed its takeover of Birmingham City
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