More investment incoming from new owner


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Manchester City will be our biggest rivals in 3 years time

By that time there will be a new milk advert proclaiming, Swindon Town who are they :)
Definitely reasons to feel optimistic at Sunderland.
Nobody knows what Kyril’s budget is.

We don’t know how much disposable cash the Louis-Dreyfus family has.

I watched something on YouTube last night - Mrs Louis-Dreyfus had to re-mortgage $1bn in 2019 from Credit Suisse bank even though the company assets were $4bn, because of a lack of liquidity.


After Saturday you will be shortly in the Directors suite.
 
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He won't just spend on something he isn't gaining from. There will be some sort of arrangements regarding his input of funds. It may be in the form of loans to the club, we don't know, but what we do know that the Louis- Dreyfus family will not be financially ripped off by Donald and co. It will all be covered.
I’d imagine they’ve agreed a PL buyout price and a championship buyout price. The more he puts in on his own the smaller those prices become.
Im certain they want one PL season swanning around PL boardrooms then they’ll be off. Unless of course Oxford become available. Hopefully Maurice buys Oxford and resells it to the twat twins because from what my old Oxford supporting workmate reckons there’s very little chance of their current owners selling to em as they rubbed em up the wrong way during previous negotiations. There’s land involved adjacent to their training ground or Mebbes it’s the training ground itself that was the sticking point he reckoned....it was a long drunken conversation around the time they washed up here so I’m not sure of theintimate details.
Massive cannabis farm? 🤔
Juan just sold his to a huge North American pharmaceutical company. He can give them Kyrilles burner number.
 
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I think it's difficult to develop those outside of the top flight. What's the good of a Category 1 Academy when you're a Leauge 1 club? What commecial streams are you going to create as a League 1 club?

I'm all for long term planning and sustainability, but you can spend an awful lot of time (and money) getting nowhere if you don't improve the one thing the club exists for - the first team.


I guess it is difficult to attract younger players to a league 1 club, even if it is cat A academy, but I would like to think if we had good coaches to supplement our facilities that it would have some sway. It would for me If I was a youthful prospect. I do suppose that it is easy for top clubs to poach any younger player we do have while they are on a training contract. Good, well paid scouts to supplement our data would be a must for me.

The commercial streams I was thinking of were short term ones. The improvement in the camera and streaming quality will surely generate some revenue while we are still shut out of the ground and will continue for a bit with restricted access. We must have thousands paying to watch the stream currently and probably thousands more if the stream was of sufficient quality. Which is what the new owner seems to be doing.

Other than that I would do extensive research on the merchandise, giving fans exactly what they want in terms of products and strips etc, maybe even letting them design them. (the tops have actually been decent this year in my opinion after a few years of poor choices). Not just relentless tat. Other than that I'm not too sure, I would love to see a breakdown of what we sell and to where. To see if there were any patterns. I wonder if you could get the breakdown from Netflix and see if there where any areas overseas that took an interest. Maybe advertise the streams there etc. Admittedly at this stage of where we are things are limited.

Every area seems to be in the need of some TLC at the minute. The pervious owners have let everything slide.
 
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I guess it is difficult to attract younger players to a league 1 club, even if it is cat A academy, but I would like to think if we had good coaches to supplement our facilities that it would have some sway. It would for me If I was a youthful prospect. I do suppose that it is easy for top clubs to poach any younger player we do have while they are on a training contract. Good, well paid scouts to supplement our data would be a must for me.

The commercial streams I was thinking of were short term ones. The improvement in the camera and streaming quality will surely generate some revenue while we are still shut out of the ground and will continue for a bit with restricted access. We must have thousands paying to watch the stream currently and probably thousands more if the stream was of sufficient quality. Which is what the new owner seems to be doing.

Other than that I would do extensive research on the merchandise, giving fans exactly what they want in terms products and strips etc, maybe even letting them design them. (the tops have actually been decent this year in my opinion after a few years of poor choices). Other than that I'm not too sure, I would love to see a breakdown of what we sell and to where. To see if there were any patterns. I wonder if you could get the breakdown from Netflix and see if there where any areas overseas that took an interest. Maybe advertise the streams there etc. Admittedly at this stage of where we are things are limited.

Every area seems to be in the need of some TLC at the minute. The pervious owners have let everything slide.
The thing is, where the Academy is concerned, where are we going to loan players out to develop? At least if we were Championship/Premier League we could send boys out to League 1 and get them much needed minutes. At present, we have lads in their 20s who aren't up to it.

As for the streams - more people would pay for them if the football was good. The Sky money up a division or two sky rockets exponentially, completely eclipsing a bunch of die-hards logging in on SAFSEE. And that's without even getting into how many people stream via 'alternative' sources.
 
I guess it is difficult to attract younger players to a league 1 club, even if it is cat A academy, but I would like to think if we had good coaches to supplement our facilities that it would have some sway. It would for me If I was a youthful prospect. I do suppose that it is easy for top clubs to poach any younger player we do have while they are on a training contract. Good, well paid scouts to supplement our data would be a must for me.

The commercial streams I was thinking of were short term ones. The improvement in the camera and streaming quality will surely generate some revenue while we are still shut out of the ground and will continue for a bit with restricted access. We must have thousands paying to watch the stream currently and probably thousands more if the stream was of sufficient quality. Which is what the new owner seems to be doing.

Other than that I would do extensive research on the merchandise, giving fans exactly what they want in terms of products and strips etc, maybe even letting them design them. (the tops have actually been decent this year in my opinion after a few years of poor choices). Not just relentless tat. Other than that I'm not too sure, I would love to see a breakdown of what we sell and to where. To see if there were any patterns. I wonder if you could get the breakdown from Netflix and see if there where any areas overseas that took an interest. Maybe advertise the streams there etc. Admittedly at this stage of where we are things are limited.

Every area seems to be in the need of some TLC at the minute. The pervious owners have let everything slide.
There’s a Nick Lowe song called “Lately Ive been letting things slide”. New run out music?
 
i'll wager they won't be comfortable enough to continue socializing in the Tavern.

hopefully they keep their heads down and stay quiet from here in.

Be interesting of there was a full house and they tried swanning about, I dont htink they realise how much they are disliked

Not like that will be a problem for them anytime soon
 
The thing is, where the Academy is concerned, where are we going to loan players out to develop? At least if we were Championship/Premier League we could send boys out to League 1 and get them much needed minutes. At present, we have lads in their 20s who aren't up to it.

As for the streams - more people would pay for them if the football was good. The Sky money up a division or two sky rockets exponentially, completely eclipsing a bunch of die-hards logging in on SAFSEE. And that's without even getting into how many people stream via 'alternative' sources.

I do get what you are saying, a lot of what I have mentioned pales in significance to the TV and competition money once you move up the divisions, and you cant do that without getting the appropriate first team. I just think that now is the chance to do everything right from the ground up. We will probably never get the chance again.

Lets just hope that the new head recruiter person, combined with the data science ,we can have both.
 
I do get what you are saying, a lot of what I have mentioned pales in significance to the TV and competition money once you move up the divisions, and you cant do that without getting the appropriate first team. I just think that now is the chance to do everything right from the ground up. We will probably never get the chance again.

Lets just hope that the new head recruiter person, combined with the data science ,we can have both.
Well they've already brought in Speakman who I assume was a Louis-Dreyfus appointment.


Thing is, there's no reason you can't build the Academy and Recruitment from the ground up at a later date, so I don't really buy the notion that we'll never have the chance again. If you pump money into the infrastructure and appoint the right people you will have a good infrastructure.

As things stand, of course it's the right thing to do now. Why stand still?
 
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Already booked Wembley Premier Inn for the 2023 Champions League Final. Get booked up now folks as they’re selling out fast :cool:
 
Lets see what he has to say this week

Revamped streaming service introduced

And this


Meet Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, 23 – English football's youngest chairman
Heir to Swiss commodity trading empire takes helm at Sunderland pledging to match the fans’ passion
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at the Sunderland v Doncaster Rovers match. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

Rupert Neate Wealth correspondent
@RupertNeate
Sat 20 Feb 2021

Meet Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. The 23-year-old heir to a Swiss commodities fortune has bought a majority stake in Sunderland AFC and installed himself as the youngest chair in English football.
Louis-Dreyfus, whose family owns the Louis Dreyfus Group trading empire, has been interested in football since going to Olympique de Marseille (OM) games with his late father, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who owned the French club until his death in 2009.


EFL confirms takeover of Sunderland by 23-year-old Frenchman Louis-Dreyfus
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Following the sale of OM to the US billionaire Frank McCourt, the younger Louis-Dreyfus vowed that the family would not “do anything in football any more, it’s a rotten business”.
That was until Sunderland, who are currently seventh in Football League One, came calling and Louis-Dreyfus was bowled over by the passion of Black Cats fans.
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“Sunderland is a special project,” he told French newspaper L’Equipe. “The fervour of the people [in Sunderland] is reminiscent of that of Marseille. There were more spectators on average than in half of the Premier League clubs.
“You can’t buy this! In cities like Zurich, Monaco, nobody is interested in football, it limits the possibilities of expansion.”
Louis-Dreyfus, who flew over from his boarding school in Singapore to watch OM take on Inter Milan in the Champions League in 2012, had considered a career on the pitch as a player or manager but was sidelined by injury.
He studied for a degree in International Sports Management at the private Richmond International Academic & Soccer Academy (RIASA) in Leeds and South Kensington, London, in 2017-18 but dropped out of the £26,000-a-year course.
Kamran Stead, the assistant head coach at RIASA at the time, said: “Kyril was a good technical player and a very polite and intelligent young man.
“Unfortunately he was unlucky with injuries whilst at RIASA, but you could clearly see he had a competitive edge to him in a very positive manner and he had a good sense of humour both on and off the field.”
Announcing his takeover of Sunderland AFC this week, Louis-Dreyfus said he was “proud to become a custodian of this esteemed institution, but I also recognise the significant responsibility that comes with it”.

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“I am confident that together we can weather the present storm and put solid foundations in place to bring sustainable and long-term success to the club.”
Sunderland’s former owner Stewart Donald, who will keep a minority shareholding, said he had been impressed by Louis-Dreyfus’s intelligence and enthusiasm despite his youth.
“Kyril’s commitment, acumen and integrity convinced us to accept his proposal,” Donald said.

“His vision and desire to bring success back to Sunderland was obvious from the outset and his bid is the one that we feel gives the club the best chance of long-term success and sustainability.”
The sale was first agreed on Christmas Eve, but was only given approval by the English Football League this week. Other existing shareholders Juan Sartori and Charlie Methven will also retain small stakes.
Lee Johnson, Sunderland’s head coach, said: “I’m very, very confident in his motives, and I’m very confident in his ideas. He’s probably the most well-rounded 24-year-old [sic] I’ve ever met in my life.”

Louis-Dreyfus, who refers to himself as KLD, is friends with several footballers including Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé, Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy and Crystal Palace’s Michy Batshuayi.
They all appear in selfies on Louis-Dreyfus’s Instagram feed, which also includes photos with the boxer Floyd Mayweather, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Robert Louis-Dreyfus was chief executive of Adidas and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, before he took over the family firm established by his great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus in 1851.

Following Robert Louis-Dreyfus’s death from leukaemia in 2009, his wife, Margarita, became the majority shareholder and chair. The company reported a 50% increase in profit before charges to $634m (£450m) in the first-half of 2020 as the pandemic boosted demand for many of the commodities it trades.

Louis-Dreyfus has a twin brother, Maurice, who refers to himself as MLD and is a DJ in Zurich. They also have an older brother, Eric. They are distantly related to the actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine in Seinfeld and Selina Meyer in Veep.

Margarita, 58, is now in a relationship with Philipp Hildebrand, the former head of the Swiss central bank and vice-chair of US asset manager BlackRock. The couple welcomed the birth of twin girls in 2016.
Vincent Labrune, who was president of OM and is now president of the French football league, said of KLD: “He has absolute passion. He takes up the torch [from his father]; there is ambition, pride. He has a good memory, he will feed on past mistakes.

“He will not flare up: it is not in his nature, and his mother, anyway, would not let him.”
 
I wonder what happened to the grow lights we used to have. I appreciate they were on wheels not rails across the pitch but I remember seeing them for the first time on a stadium tour many years ago, we were one of the first clubs in the country to have them.

Donald probably sold them to Madrox for £5 or something.
Bain got rid of them way before Donald and Co rocked up iirc
 
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