Keith Wyness drops ‘£400m’ Wolves takeover claim
Wolves owners could suffer a £200million blow in the near future after appointing Rob Edwards as the club’s new manager.
Edwards replaces Vitor Pereira at Molineux, but faces a huge task trying to keep the Old Gold in the Premier League, amid rumours of a potential takeover.
Over the past month, John Textor has emerged as a surprise contender to buy Wolves after selling his shares in Crystal Palace over the summer.
Textor is likely to face little competition in his attempts to complete a takeover, considering the club’s current position.
Wolves could cost John Textor £400m
Wolves could cost Textor between £300 to £400m in total, which would include a £250m valuation as well as working capital to take the club forward.
However, Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes this figure would drop significantly if the Old Gold get relegated from the Premier League.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted the value of Wolves would be closer to £150m if they were in the Championship.
Wyness added that a clause could be included in any takeover contract to reduce the overall price if the Midlands side fail to avoid the drop.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Now, if they were a Premier League club, then yes, the right sort of level would be £350m to £400m.
“But if you go to the championship, I think the highest price that I can remember being paid for a second-tier side was Bournemouth when they were about to get promoted, and they went for about £130m.
“So there’s a big difference. They would only give a valuation of £400m provided they stayed in the Premier League, and if they did get relegated, then there would be a clause in the contract that says they’d only pay a certain amount.
“Now, whether that’s £150m, or a little bit more, that’s what Championship clubs are looking at.”
Wolves’ January transfer plans after Rob Edwards appointment
Amid the takeover talk, Wolves are expected to back Edwards with the necessary funds to make new signings in the January transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.
With their top-flight status is hanging in the balance, sources say that the hierarchy at the Midlands side are willing to fund new arrivals.
Wolves were the second-highest spenders in the Premier League behind Manchester City last January, having backed Vitor Pereira with three new signings.
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