Don't assume the new ownership will involve Bale

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Bale would surely draw a lot more than others to join the city

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Bale would surely draw a lot more than others to join the city

Maybe but the American investors worry me. They'd be the ones who put in the money and have the power, Bale is just the face of it.

We’ve all seen the effect that having a big name who is known worldwide can have on a club.

That being said, whoever it is that eventually takes over from Tan, we will see a boost in attendances and positivity.

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Bale would surely draw a lot more than others to join the city

Maybe but the American investors worry me. They'd be the ones who put in the money and have the power, Bale is just the face of it.

Surely Bale wouldn't do anything that jeopardises the club, he must be sure the people he is representing are only gonna do good things for us

The other consortiums are unknowns so could be anyone

At least with Bale it's a familiar face and someone I would hope only has the best interests of the club at heart

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Bale would surely draw a lot more than others to join the city

Maybe but the American investors worry me. They'd be the ones who put in the money and have the power, Bale is just the face of it.

Surely Bale wouldn't do anything that jeopardises the club, he must be sure the people he is representing are only gonna do good things for us

The other consortiums are unknowns so could be anyone

At least with Bale it's a familiar face and someone I would hope only has the best interests of the club at heart

I've got no issue with Bale, I'm just saying I don't go along with the love in and the American investors concern me.

But the point of the thread is that I'm saying people shouldn't think it's Bale or Tan, because there are other parties interested and talking to Tan.

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Bale would surely draw a lot more than others to join the city

Maybe but the American investors worry me. They'd be the ones who put in the money and have the power, Bale is just the face of it.

Surely Bale wouldn't do anything that jeopardises the club, he must be sure the people he is representing are only gonna do good things for us

The other consortiums are unknowns so could be anyone

At least with Bale it's a familiar face and someone I would hope only has the best interests of the club at heart

I've got no issue with Bale, I'm just saying I don't go along with the love in and the American investors concern me.

But the point of the thread is that I'm saying people shouldn't think it's Bale or Tan, because there are other parties interested and talking to Tan.

I'm wondering as well if maybe one of the other consortiums are further down the line with there discussions hence the no transfer activity

Either way it finally seems the Vincent tan era is coming to an end one way or the other

Ned what worries you about the Americans but not South Africans?

Ned what worries you about the Americans but not South Africans?

American investors have a track record of asset stripping.

Fair point my only concern is who is the South Africamn bidder

We would need assets to strip first & besides Salech I can't think of much else. It's not like they could sell the ground to a builder or anything.

Serious question though, would you prefer Tan over the Americans or just the South Africans over the Americans but them over Tan?

I would have no problem with the Americans as I believe most of the asset stripping nonsense is just that, nonsense.

Asset stripping is scary, we cant be going down that road. I would hope Bale would have cleared this with them before putting his name to it. And provided that is not going to happen I would love for a Bale consortium to be our new owners with a Wales legend as the face and a little bit of Wrexham glamour and attraction for future investors and players, its totally worked for their upward trajectory, income stream, market value and most importantly fun, community, new target audience and passion !!

But the OP is right, as much as I want Bale who 'hopefully' will be a voice for the fans and the City of Cardiff with the prospective new board. Doesn't mean they will be the best, particularly as this will be all new to him. Plus some fans will want a board who will provide the most money for transfers and managers and a crack at the EPL again, of course I get that and would like that, but some like me are more focused on repairing the identity with sensible sustainable money management, a consistent football philosophy, improved comms and more consideration of fan input, a review of the draconian stewarding and Wayne Nash role in not reviewing a family stand swap, and the disposal of all the rebrand remnants (red seats, all things Malaysia, the badge etc) plus many more.

It has not been a fun or happy time being a loyal home and away Bluebird , we desperately need steps to improve that, big transfer budgets wont necessarily fix that. And would be happy personally as a well run, drama and controversy free, competitive championship club

Tan out for 14 years. Lets hope its coming to an end. I still have my doubts, my hunch is he will ignore bids in order to get us back up and be seen as a hero his ego so allegedly craves when he chooses to leave us, not when bidders want him to. Man I hope I am wrong.

For now we have BBM, and a group of massively underperforming players. Im trying hard to put last season behind me! Not easy!! New season, new league, new start. lets get behind them. Onwards and upwards.

Ned what worries you about the Americans but not South Africans?

American investors have a track record of asset stripping.

Really can’t see that being the case. Bale wouldnt put himself in that position. He will obviously know about their intentions with the club.

I would welcome any new owners, but as mentioned, having Bale as the face of the takeover would bring extra positives in terms of marketing and further investment. Let's hope a takeover is soon

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Ned,

Correct.

Bale is in 3rd place.

Not offered anywhere near the same as the South African.

A lot has been said about Bale possibly taking the club over.

But remember there are several parties interested in a takeover and I believe others have held discussions with Tan.

My opinion is I just want Tan to go and don't buy into the Bale love in personally.

Ned,

Correct.

Bale is in 3rd place.

Not offered anywhere near the same as the South African.

Would be interested to know who this South African is and why he's so keen to buy us

Ned what worries you about the Americans but not South Africans?

American investors have a track record of asset stripping.

What is there to asset strip?

Ned what worries you about the Americans but not South Africans?

American investors have a track record of asset stripping.

What is there to asset strip?

To say we have no assets is just an ignorance of the facts.

Every single club from League Two upwards have some sort of assets. Even those who are skint.

Here are the top ten richest individuals in South Africa as of early 2025, based on various Forbes-tracked and verified sources:

1. Johann Rupert & family – ~$14 billion, luxury goods (Richemont, Remgro)


2. Nicky Oppenheimer & family – ~$10.4 billion, diamonds (De Beers)


3. Ivan Glasenberg – ~$9.3 billion, mining/commodities (former Glencore CEO)


4. Koos Bekker – ~$3.4 billion, media & tech (Naspers/Prosus)


5. Patrice Motsepe – ~$3.0 billion, mining & diversified (African Rainbow Minerals, Mamelodi Sundowns)


6. Michiel le Roux – ~$2.2 billion, banking (Capitec Bank)


7. Christoffel “Christo” Wiese – ~$1.5 billion, retail (Pepkor, Shoprite)


8. Jannie Mouton – ~$1.5 billion, financial services/private equity (PSG Group, Capitec holdings)


9. Nathan “Natie” Kirsh – ~$7.3 billion globally, South African-born businessman, though operates mainly abroad (Kirsh Group)


10. **(Tie/Next-in-line) Others** – Several South Africans with personal net worth near ~$1 billion include individuals cited by BusinessTech and Forbes, but rankings vary slightly. Notables include Robert Gumede, Mamkhize, Zunaid Moti, Vusi Thembekwayo, and Elon Musk (South African-born, but primarily listed as American).

The “Big Six billionaires” consistently dominate: Rupert, Oppenheimer, Glasenberg, Bekker, Motsepe, and Le Roux.

Christo Wiese rejoined the billionaire ranks following recoveries in his retail holdings.

Jannie Mouton recently re-entered the top 10 following strong Capitec stock performance.

Nathan Kirsh, though South Africa-born, is a global billionaire ($7.3 billion), with operations in Eswatini, the UK, and the U.S.
Top 10 Table (Approximate Net Worths)

Rank Name Net Worth (USD) Industry

1 Johann Rupert & family ~$14 B Luxury Goods, Investments
2 Nicky Oppenheimer & family ~$10.4 B Diamonds
3 Ivan Glasenberg ~$9.3 B Mining & Commodities
4 Koos Bekker ~$3.4 B Media & Tech
5 Patrice Motsepe ~$3.0 B Mining & Diversified
6 Michiel le Roux ~$2.2 B Banking
7 Christoffel “Christo” Wiese ~$1.5 B Retail
8 Jannie Mouton ~$1.5 B Financial Services
9 Nathan “Natie” Kirsh ~$7.3 B (Global) Diversified Investments
10 Others (~$1 B level) ~ $1 B Various (Retail, ICT, Media, etc.)



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Of that list Patrice would be most likely having an already active link in the football world with the Sundowns.

Hmm - so I do have some working knowledge/experience of company acquisitions; not an expert by any means, but I am involved in the decision making process, business case due diligence and integration/execution of the acquisition plan.

Gareth Bale is, I think, a bit of paper talk - obviously like all other Welsh supporters, love him to bits, but that won't hold any sway with the seller.

As Annis has mentioned, it appears the bid he is fronting is the lowest in value - if that is the case, it is highly unlikely they will be included in detailed due diligence, which in itself is an expensive and very time consuming activity for the seller. Of course that may not be the case, I'm just reflecting on my own experience.

I also do not favour American owners - there are so many clubs who have had American owners who have not been good for those clubs. That could also be said of other nationalities but it is not a cultural norm in the USA to operate in a sports market where you get relegated and lose revenue as a result!

I would like Tan to go - he is past his sell-by date now. For me, the red was vile. Playing in the Prem in red was crap, tho I went regardless. Seeing SuperKev do a knee slide in front of the Ninian that night we drew 0-0 with Palace to confirm promotion was a life memory I shall never forget, thinking at that very moment of my old man who was long gone but a life long City supporter, wishing he had see us back in Div 1.

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