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China’s Lander Sports scraps plans to buy stake in Southampton
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In a statement issued to the stock market, Lander Sports said the process to buy an 80 percent stake in the Southampton’s holding firm, St. Mary’s Football Group, also involved having to gain approval from government bodies including China’s foreign exchange regulator and top economic planner.
“Whether the company can eventually complete the acquisition of the target firm’s shares remains uncertain,” it said in the statement.
“To keep to principle of prudence, ensure the company’s development remains normal and to safeguard the majority of investors’ interests, the company has decided to end this major asset restructuring.”
The company had earlier this year said it had struck a deal with Saints’ owner Katharina Liebherr, without disclosing the price.
Reuters reported in March that Chinese buyers including materials giant Amer International and CITIC Securities Co Ltd (600030.SS) were preparing a rival bid.
Chinese entities and individuals have ploughed more than $3 billion into overseas soccer investments since late 2015, encouraged by avid fan President Xi Jinping, who wants the country to become a soccer superpower.
A number of sports-related deals, however, have hit hurdles after Beijing said it would rein in risks from “irrational” outbound investments, with particular focus on sectors including hotels, entertainment and sports.
A 740 million euros ($784.92 million) agreement for Italian club AC Milan, which was held up as the buyers struggled to get approval from Beijing, finally closed last week eight months after it was agreed.
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How Vincent Kompany has battled injury troubles to become the new Ledley King
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In the final years of his Tottenham career, Ledley King’s match preparation would consist of little more than a lap around the club’s old Chigwell training base on a Friday morning and then a glance across the pitches at manager Harry Redknapp.
“He would give me a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” says Redknapp. “And, if I got the thumbs up, I would think ‘great, we will win tomorrow’.”
The injury problems of Vincent Kompany are less acute than King’s horribly damaged left knee but, having been sidelined for more than two of the nine years he has spent at Manchester City, you can imagine how successive managers might have had similar thoughts.
Like Spurs before them, City are a different team with their defensive talisman on the pitch and there is an added comparison in Kompany’s remarkable ability to perform at such a high standard after so few matches.
Having scored his first goal on Saturday in nearly two years, Kompany also gave City a rare defensive solidity in how they then contained Southampton and ultimately eased to a 3-0 win following goals from Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero.
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Premier League hotlist: Vincent Kompany, Ander Herrera, Roberto Firmino and Mousa Dembele
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Who were the best Premier League players from the weekend games? We take a look at the man-of-the-match performances in our hotlist.
It was another solid home win for Tottenham on Saturday and it was Mousa Dembele once again who was working in the engine room of an increasingly impressive Spurs team, scoring his first goal of the season and having an eye-boggling 98% pass completion rate - the highest in the Premier League this season.
Both Jamie Redknapp and Thierry Henry - who works with the midfielder as the Belgian national team’s assistant coach - called him a “tremendous player” after the match, and he will certainly be vital for Spurs in the last six games of the season.
The German defender was at his imperious best at the heart of Leicester’s defence at Selhurst Park.
He blocked everything, won almost every header and capped his performance with his second league goal of the season.
A potential clean sheet was ruined by an unfortunate break of the ball and the Foxes defence rightly felt aggrieved Christian Benteke’s controversial equaliser was allowed to stand.
But Huth, who will be a big miss when Leicester face Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday, enjoys his trips to London.
He has now scored three of his last five top-flight goals in the capital. So who do Leicester face next? Arsenal at the Emirates…
After a testing week off the pitch, Barkley played a key role in helping Everton set a club record of eight Premier League home wins in a row.
As well as clearing two headers off the line, Barkley created Everton’s second goal as his shot deflected in off two Burnley defenders.
The midfielder showed what the goal meant to him as he celebrated by jumping into the Gwladys Street End and grabbing the badge on his shirt.
“What happened this week had really a big impact for him,” said Everton manager Ronald Koeman. “I think he was focused on the football side the rest of the week and also this afternoon.”
Not for the first time this season, Marko Arnautovic was Stoke City’s star man in their 3-1 win against Hull City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The forward put his side on the way to a much-needed three points with a well-taken goal after just six minutes in the Potteries, his sixth in the league this campaign.
And that strike makes Arnautovic the highest-scoring Austrian in the Premier League, while the player has now been involved in 10 top-flight goals this season - six goals and four assists - more than any of his team-mates.
The jury is still out among the West Ham supporters as to whether the Portugal international’s January move from Southampton was money well spent - but his performances at the Stadium of Light will have gone a long way to convince his doubters.
Consistently in the right place at the right time, Fonte’s crucial second-half interventions prevented Jermain Defoe and Victor Anichebe from sealing a rare Sunderland victory to boost their fight against relegation.
Of the three candidates as stand-out player in this affair, it was a last-minute interception that secured it for Abdoulaye Doucoure; Jose Holebas and Adrian Mariappa were equally as impressive on the left side of defence in a game with errors aplenty.
Playing alongside a below-par Tom Cleverley, Doucoure can take credit for breaking up numerous Swansea attacks and though his misplaced header almost allowed Gylfi Sigurdsson to break the deadlock from range with half an hour gone, his challenge on the same player in stoppage time secured the points.
The Iceland international had advanced towards the Swans area, beaten Mariappa and was one on one with Heurelho Gomes, before Doucoure came charging in behind and got the vital touch that saw Sigurdsson squander control - three points secured.
Kompany, making just his seventh appearance of the season, put in a commanding display at the heart of the Manchester City defence, giving a timely reminder of what he can bring to Pep Guardiola’s side.
With the Belgium international back in the side, City were solid and assured at the back and he made a vital contribution at the other end of the field, showing sheer determination to rise above Maya Yoshida to head his side into the lead and on their way to a valuable three points in the race for Champions League qualification.
And his celebration told its own story as City’s captain released his injury frustrations, running straight to the travelling fans at St Mary’s Stadium, pumping his fists in delight and screaming to celebrate his first goal since City’s 3-0 win over Chelsea at the start of last season.
Roberto Firmino came off the bench to score the winner at Stoke last weekend, but he was included from the start by Jurgen Klopp this week and repeated the trick against West Brom - nodding home the only goal of the game just before half-time.
As well as offering the game’s defining moment, he created more chances (five) than any other player on the pitch including an inch-perfect cross which James Milner should have converted in the 57th minute.
He also won possession more times (10) than any other player, demonstrating that Klopp can depend on the Brazilian for his work-rate as well as his strike rate.
Herrera put in an all-action display in Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
In an attacking sense he created the first with a sublime defence-splitting pass for Marcus Rashford - although he did appear to handle the ball in the build-up before his deflected second put the game beyond the Blues.
And the Spaniard also helped his defence to mark Eden Hazard out of the game, a feat made all the more impressive considering he was dismissed for repeatedly fouling the Belgian during the FA Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge last month.
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Vincent Kompany thankful not to have been consigned to football’s scrapheap
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Vincent Kompany admits he would be “done and dusted” without his ability to rapidly regain match fitness.
Injury-plagued City skipper Kompany got through 90 minutes against Southampton after a spell on the sidelines.
Each of his last three appearances have now been in similar circumstances with Kompany also getting through his games against Crystal Palace in January and Chelsea earlier this month after lay-offs.
The City skipper said: “I would have been done and dusted if I needed every single time to get back in and time to adapt.
“I have been lucky I can make use of a tremendous amount of experience. Where I am at physically does not matter.
“I know what I have to do and as long as I can organise the people around I can always get a performance.
“The main thing is self-belief and experience. I cannot say just how valuable it is because if I was 20 years old I would not have done it that way but I am lucky to have good players surrounding me.
“I follow a lot of what is happening and in training so I understand what needs to be done. I can kind of help to implement it but other than that, I stay really calm because it is always about the next game.”
It was like Kompany had never been away against Southampton.
He slotted back into the side, shored up their defence with a towering display and popped up with the opening goal at the other end.
A fit Kompany will be a huge boost for City for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final and next week’s Manchester derby against bitter rivals United.
But he was understandably cautious about his prospects of being fit for both clashes.
He said: “First of all we are lucky we have a big squad. Me, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, we have good players.
“It is a cliché but we have to take things game-by-game. We have a massive game against Arsenal and then after that, we can reassess who is fit and not fit against United.
“They are two different challenges so we should not expect it to be the same game. There will be different challenges and we will see each game as a priority.”
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Liverpool gossip: Reds ‘receive huge boost in race for Premier League defender’
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Liverpool have received a massive boost in their pursuit of Virgil van Dijk.
Southampton are reportedly already looking for replacements for the centre-back amid fears that they will not be able to convince him to remain at St. Mary’s.
Van Dijk could cost Liverpool as much as £50million, which would be tough for the Saints to turn down.
The Sun report that Southampton are already lining up Leeds defender Pontus Jansson to take the Dutchman’s place at the heart of the defence.
It is said that a centre-back will be Jurgen Klopp’s No.1 priority this summer.
Liverpool are up to third place in the Premier League after leap-frogging Manchester City with a 1-0 win over West Brom on Sunday.
Roberto Firmino produced the only goal of the match as Jurgen Klopp’s side went two points ahead of City and within five points of Tottenham as they chase a Champions League spot.
Firmino found the breakthrough with almost the last touch of the first half, when Lucas’s flick-on found the Brazilian on the far post for a simple header.
The Baggies up to that point had been largely in control despite the Reds enjoying the lion’s share of possesion.
Alberto Moreno had a golden opportunity to put the result beyond doubt at the death when Ben Foster went up for a corner, leaving his goal wide open, but he missed the target.
Here are five things that James Nursey learned.
Jurgen Klopp has had his say on Alberto Moreno’s open-goal horror miss after he failed to double Liverpool’s lead in their 1-0 win over West Brom, writes Mirror Football’s Jake Polden.
Baggies keeper Ben Foster abandoned his goal in the dying embers of Sunday’s game as the home team searched for that illusive equaliser.
Klopp was asked what he made of the miss following the fixture, but refused to criticise the 24-year-old who should have perhaps passed to a teammate.
"I told him after the game I know everyone thinks you could have played through Daniel Sturridge.
"I’m not sure that he knew that he couldn’t, because it would have been offside, but maybe there wasn’t that option, which I didn’t really know.
"I’ll have to watch it again. But it’s completely normal in a situation like this, you think you have to do it.
"He had a few difficult weeks in the last few weeks, the last week was really good and so he deserved a few minutes. He’s a good boy.
“I would have been happy for him actually if he would have scored this goal, but excitement until the end, always when we are involved, so all good.”
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Yoshida urges more “bravery” in the face of the Premier League’s elite
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MAYA Yoshida has urged Saints to be braver against the Premier League’s leading sides, after Claude Puel’s men were beaten 3-0 by third-placed Manchester City at St Mary’s.
It was the eighth occasion this top-flight term that Saints have not claimed a triumph against one of the elite’s high-fliers, as Vincent Kompany, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero helped City to victory.
With four of the traditional big sides left to play, Saints must try and channel last season’s spirit, which saw them defeat all of the top guns they are set to face in the run-in.
“We have to play with more bravery because we can play much better [than against City],” Yoshida said.
“We have to believe in ourselves and tactically we have to play for each-other, defensively and offensively.
“Then, if something happened individually, okay, but if we score two goals and concede one, then I understand.”
It all starts against Chelsea a week tomorrow, when Saints travel to Stamford Bridge, the scene of a famous 3-1 triumph last term.
They then face Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United – all of whom Saints defeated in 2015/16.
“It’s not only about luck,” the 28-year-old said, when asked why Saints haven’t claimed a big scalp. “We have to fight as a team because individually they will be much better.
“As a team we are really, really good and we have done very well as a team for the last few years.
“But everyone has to fight for the team, not everyone has to fight for one person.”
That was Yoshida’s main gripe after the City defeat, with the centre-back clearly feeling that Saints did not work hard enough.
He blames himself for the opening goal, in which Kompany rose above him to head home from David Silva’s corner on 55 minutes.
“We shouldn’t have conceded the three goals,” he said.
“Of course, the first goal was my individual responsibility and the second and the third shouldn’t be happening, I don’t think.
“As a team we are better, but individually they are much better.
“We know that and that’s why everyone has to fight for 90 minutes, even their substitutes came in and put in a massive effort.
“We had to fight as a team because individually they’re so good and that’s why if we switched off for one moment we were punished by them.”
After a first half in which Pep Guardiola’s side dominated but Saints had the best chances, with Dusan Tadic hitting over from 12 yards from Manolo Gabbiadini’s cut back, Yoshida says Puel’s men planned to go out and assert themselves on the game.
“At half-time we spoke and said we should restart aggressively, but we dropped down our pace,” he said.
“I let Kompany open the scoring and the aggression changed.
“Now we have to play against similar opponents like Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and United. “They’re such strong teams and this lesson costs us a lot but we have to move on and learn from this game.”
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THE VERDICT: Puel needs to end Saints nerves
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Sports psychology has become an ever more important factor in top level football in recent years as the search for those marginal gains towards success grow ever more focussed.
The old fashion method of putting an arm round the shoulder of some players and giving others a rollicking was about as complex as it got.
Nowadays, with the nuances of managing multi-millionaires, drawn together from a disparate range of countries – as well as the managers themselves - and performing at such a high level, it is slightly different.
However, it is still ultimately the manager who has to crack the formula for success, for getting the best out of each individual, but also having that knack of knowing which players will gel together to form a cohesive squad and team.
It’s something the best managers have always had instinctively.
Claude Puel is now having to deal with issues of mind rather than body with his players, and he knows that if he doesn’t get it right soon that the end to this season is going to fall very flat indeed.
The Saints manager admitted after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City that his players seemed nervous.
On first glance it seems baffling. Saints came into the game on the back of seven points from three games, and with their star striker, Manolo Gabbiadini, back from injury.
You would have thought their confidence would be high and with nothing to really lose in terms of the league table they would be ready to give it a really good go against City.
What transpired was a very flat performance. Granted, they played a very good side, but even so they only occasionally threatened to make themselves a meaningful factor in the game. By the end the defeat felt a little meek.
So when you start to look at the possible reasons for the nerves, you have to wonder whether they were due to Saints’ record against the Premier League big guns under Puel.
When Saints were managed by Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman they were renowned for going toe-to-toe with the biggest sides, and had some great wins, and bad losses, as a result. If they struggled at all, it was often to grind out more mundane victories against lesser sides.
Under Puel it has been the opposite in terms of Premier League matches. They have done superbly at grinding out hard fought and narrow victories against sides outside of the top six or seven, but have not had the same success against the bigger sides.
Maybe the reason for the nerves is that it has got into the heads of the players.
If that is the case, as Puel may be hinting, then it really needs to be addressed quickly, although admittedly that is easier said than done.
Saints have to play Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United before the end of the season. That is four of their remaining seven games.
If Saints are to carry some important momentum into the summer, they will not want to produce another four performances like they did on Saturday.
It was the fact the defeat was so flat against City, that there was no real sense at any point that Saints might win the game, that was so frustrating. There is no better time to have a go than when you are safe in midtable.
Whether it was tactical from Puel, or mental from the players, sitting back and allowing City possession was always a dangerous game.
City are a top side, and of course they do impose themselves, and that factor should not be ignored, but they probably expected a far tougher day than they got.
Despite City’s dominance and probing, they were mainly restricted to half chances during a goalless first period.
The best opening they managed saw David Silva miss the target at the far post after Sergio Aguero’s deflected cross looped up to him.
Indeed, it was actually Saints who had the best opportunity, but Dusan Tadic skied over the bar from 12 yards out after Gabbiadini’s cut back.
It did feel only a matter of time before City would take the lead if they continued to be so on top, and the opener duly arrived ten minutes after the restart.
After Fraser Forster, who had been correctly deemed to have got fingertips on the ball before the man as City appealed for a penalty in the first half, turned a Jesus Navas shot over the bar, City took the lead from the corner.
Vincent Kompany climbed over Maya Yoshida to power a downward header towards goal from six yards out. It bounced up near Forster’s left hand but from such close range he was unable to get anything on it.
City were suddenly all over Saints, yet Puel’s men did have a chance to get level when Tadic picked out Yoshida but he headed wide.
There would be no more mercy from City as they bagged two further goals in the space of three minutes.
They made it 2-0 on 77 minutes with a devastating counter attack. Saints were committed up field and a brilliant early Silva pass set Kevin De Bruyne on his way.
He pushed forward before squaring to Leroy Sane, who slotted it low first time past Forster.
It was quickly 3-0 as De Bruyne stood up a superb chipped cross from the right by-line which found Aguero between Cedric Soares and Jack Stephens to head home from a couple of yards.
Puel must now find a way to quell the nerves.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 17/04/2017 09:36:37
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| Jansson could be on his way from Leeds to SaintsTHISISBRADFORD |
| | Leeds transfer news: Southampton line up £13.5m Jansson bidFOOTBALLINSIDER |
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| | China firm scraps deal to buy Southampton stakeFRANCE24 |
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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton
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Pictures of the Day: 17 April 2017
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Pope Francis during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing for Rome and the world from the central loggia of St Peters’ basilica following the Easter Sunday mass.
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#SaintsFC is pleased to announce a Community Tournament as part of The Southampton Cup!
Find out how to enter here: http://sfcne.ws/TSCCommunity
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Community Tournament to be held at Southampton Cup
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Southampton Football Club is pleased to confirm it will be running a Community Tournament as part of next season’s Southampton Cup.
The Southampton Cup is a brand new international youth football tournament that was announced last year, with the event due to take place this August.
As part of it, a Community Tournament will also take place, with UK-based boys and girls teams in the Under-7 to Under-11 age groups able to enter.
The tournament will run on the following dates with the following age groups:
AM – Under-7s (born after 31st August 2010, and having reached their sixth birthday)
PM – Under-8s (born after 31st August 2009)
Monday 7th August 2017
AM – Boys Under-9s (born after 31st August 2008)
PM – Girls Under-9s (born after 31st August 2008)
Tuesday 8th August 2017
AM – Boys Under-10s (born after 31st August 2007)
PM – Girls Under-10s (born after 31st August 2007)
Wednesday 9th August 2017
AM – Boys Under-11s (born after 31st August 2006)
PM – Girls Under-11s (born after 31st August 2006)
Please note, these are 2017/18 age groups. The cost is just £40 per team. Click here to enter your team now.
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Everton are set to buy a new right-back this summer
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Everton will look to sign a new right-back this summer after losing Seamus Coleman to injury, report the Liverpool Echo.
Coleman suffered a double leg break playing for the Republic of Ireland last month and will be out for at least half a year.
Mason Holgate has deputised admirably at full-back in his absence but Ronald Koeman wants options heading into the 2017/18 season.
Koeman had been set on signing a new right-back last summer but Holgate’s form convinced him to shelve plans.
The Blues boss could revive his interest in Southampton’s Cuco Martina after a summer deal for the defender fell through.
Martina, 27, is out of contract at St Mary’s at the end of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Kieran Trippier has also been linked as Koeman and director of football Steve Walsh look to fill the void left by Coleman’s injury.
Coleman, 28, was visited at home in Ireland by Koeman, Phil Jagielka, Jan Kluitenberg and head of medical services Matt Connery last week and is due back at Finch Farm to begin his rehab in the coming days.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 17/04/2017 11:37:21
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Southampton’s hopes of multi-million pound investment from China appear to be over.
Chinese firm Lander Sports has told the stock exchange that they are scrapping their plans to invest in Saints, at least for the time being.
The statement said: "Whether the company can eventually complete the acquisition of the target firm’s shares remains uncertain.
“To keep to principle of prudence, ensure the company’s development remains normal and to safeguard the majority of investors’ interests, the company has decided to end this major asset restructuring.”
Lander had been in talks with the representatives of owner Katharina Liebherr for around a year, and had gone as far as securing an exclusivity period to complete a deal.
However, since that expired in January, optimism has dwindled at St Mary’s that a deal, which was proposed to be around £210m for a majority stake in the club, would be completed.
There has largely been silence from Lander at a time when China’s investment policy appears to be changing.
Though Chinese firms have gone through a period of investing in overseas football clubs, several recent sports deals have collapsed as the country shifts its investment focus.
Saints have always insisted that they are relaxed no matter which way the talks ended up going.
Liebherr remains committed to leading the club forward, but has indicated she is prepared to sell at least a significant stake of her ownership if the price is right, and the investors are able to take Saints forward in a way that she cannot.
In a rare statement to fans, issued in January as the Lander talk intensified, she said: “Please understand that I can only make limited comments regarding this process but I can assure you that any steps we do take will be in the best interests of the club. A potential partnership would need to clear multiple approvals and fulfil strict criteria before being confirmed.
“The Premier League is increasingly competitive; we need to keep moving forward and look to new markets for commercial growth, innovation and to share our journey. Together we have had many years of progression and success, and ensuring this continues is the main focus of any possible partnership.”
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#OnThisDay in 2012, Jos Hooiveld and @billysharp10 led #SaintsFC to a 3-1 win at #PUFC and a step closer to the #PL: https://grabyo.com/g/v/L9jahZwXpst
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Southampton’s hopes of multi-million pound investment from China appear to be over.
Chinese firm Lander Sports has told the stock exchange that they are scrapping their plans to invest in Saints, at least for the time being.
The statement said: "Whether the company can eventually complete the acquisition of the target firm’s shares remains uncertain.
“To keep to principle of prudence, ensure the company’s development remains normal and to safeguard the majority of investors’ interests, the company has decided to end this major asset restructuring.”
Lander had been in talks with the representatives of owner Katharina Liebherr for around a year, and had gone as far as securing an exclusivity period to complete a deal.
However, since that expired in January, optimism has dwindled at St Mary’s that a deal, which was proposed to be around £210m for a majority stake in the club, would be completed.
There has largely been silence from Lander at a time when China’s investment policy appears to be changing.
Though Chinese firms have gone through a period of investing in overseas football clubs, several recent sports deals have collapsed as the country shifts its investment focus.
Saints have always insisted that they are relaxed no matter which way the talks ended up going.
Liebherr remains committed to leading the club forward, but has indicated she is prepared to sell at least a significant stake of her ownership if the price is right, and the investors are able to take Saints forward in a way that she cannot.
In a rare statement to fans, issued in January as the Lander talk intensified, she said: “Please understand that I can only make limited comments regarding this process but I can assure you that any steps we do take will be in the best interests of the club. A potential partnership would need to clear multiple approvals and fulfil strict criteria before being confirmed.
“The Premier League is increasingly competitive; we need to keep moving forward and look to new markets for commercial growth, innovation and to share our journey. Together we have had many years of progression and success, and ensuring this continues is the main focus of any possible partnership.”
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