Finance guru: Sunderland thrilled by latest on investor 3x richer than Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
Sunderland would be elated if multi-billionaire John Reece does indeed want to invest in the club.
That is the view of finance guru Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about news of a possible partial takeover at the Stadium of Light.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus currently owns 41 per cent of the club, while three members of the previous Madrox regime control the remaining equity.
As relayed by the Sunderland Echo on Wednesday (1 May), there has been some suggestion that Reece, 65, is keen to purchase shares from Charlie Methven and Stewart Donald.
The Sunderland-born investor is worth £4.2billion and is among the 500 wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes.
Louis-Dreyfus meanwhile is reported to be worth around £1.4bn.
Plumley explains how Reece’s enormous wealth could supercharge the Black Cats’ push to get out of the Championship.
“I’d always base this on two things,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“One is the motives of the investor in himself. What is his motive to invest in Sunderland? Is it about pushing the club forward on the pitch, which probably means putting your hand in your pocket?
“Or, is it that he sees a return on the investment further down the line?
“The other thing is it depends on the league you occupy in terms of FFP. But of course, it does help to have a wealthy investor, especially when he’s this wealthy.
“We know how hard it is in the Championship because of parachute payments and crazy wages, not to mention the profit and sustainability regulations.
“So it would certainly be a benefit to Sunderland if he wants to invest in the team.”
Sunderland won promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in 2021-22.
They had spent four successive seasons in the third tier.
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