Southampton sale talk persists as confusion reigns on and off pitch

The Chinese billionaire’s ownership has been largely defined by scepticism and relative silence

(Getty)

Armageddon can come in many shapes and sizes. There are the obvious examples, such as Napoleon or recent – or not so – events at the Oxford Union. Then there are the lesser-famed cases, like a Rory Delap long-throw wreaking havoc in Arsenal’s penalty area. So on Sunday, when a fanciful transfer rumour linked Tony Pulis to the manager’s job at Southampton - the only man to harness all three events through inspiration, invitation and physical freakishness – the alarm bells on the south coast truly began to ring.

Heading into the respite of the international break, the overriding emotion at the club remained one of confusion. On the pitch, the devastating 9-0 defeat against Leicester still hangs over a wounded squad. Ralph Hasenhuttl‘s side have lost seven of their last 10 matches and are struggling to live up to the Austrian’s exhausting ideals. Meanwhile, the manager has tired in his own attempts to weld irregular pieces into the cohesive pressing unit which made him successful at RB Leipzig. Sitting in 19th position, with fixtures against Watford and Norwich following Arsenal this weekend, it feels as though the club have reached an inevitable tipping point.

Yet it’s away from the pitch where Southampton’s future remains most arcane. An uncertainty that’s trickled down ever since distant Chinese billionaire Gao Jisheng became the majority shareholder over two years ago. His reign has been one defined by scepticism, speculative intentions and relative silence. Now, after denying that he was “treating Southampton as a pig to be fattened and sold” in an interview with the Financial Times earlier this year, The Independent has been told that Gao has been interested in selling his 80 per cent share in the club for up to six months, with an asking price being mooted at £200m.

In an era where football ownership is either a profitable or poisoned chalice, Katharina Liebherr was determined to sell her stake to someone with a genuine passion for the club. In Gao and his daughter Nelly – who also sits on the board – she hoped she’d heralded the start “of an exciting new chapter”. Instead, she’s seen two managers sacked and two relegation battles fought – and won.

In 2018, the club posted after-tax profits of £26.8m but beyond that strict financial oversight, it’s been suspended in a tide of limbo, swaying violently without any real direction.​

Southampton owner Gao Jisheng (Getty)

After sacking the supposed safeguard of Mark Hughes, Hasenhuttl arrived as an esteemed manager whose two top-six finishes with Leipzig had made him coveted across Europe. His appointment was widely seen as a coup. However, in the weeks before the manager’s arrival, Les Reed, an architect of the club’s recent success – who’s since gone on to become the Football Association’s technical director – departed for reasons that still remain publicly unclear. Then, in April, the club’s chairman Ralph Krueger left for a coaching role with the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League, forcing a reshuffle at board level that saw Gao himself land in the vacant chair.

What was supposed to be a well-planned summer rebuild instead became more scattergun, with forwards Danny Ings, Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo joining for a collective £50m. Meanwhile, the departures of Matt Targett, Sam Gallagher and Mario Lemina were reinforced by a raft of outgoing squad players.

In January, Mohamed Elyounoussi’s loan move to Celtic could be made permanent for a fee up to £10m, also unburdening his £70,000-per-week wages in the process, while Fraser Forster remains on loan with the Scottish champions. Once again, Southampton has been successful in balancing the books. But whether it’s left Hasenhuttl with the necessary grit and depth to haul the club out of another relegation scrap remains a firm doubt.

Southampton will always have the benefit of being underpinned by its prestigious academy. Michael Obafemi has already made a senior breakthrough, while behind him Kayne Ramsey, Enzo Rabise and Ramello Mitchell are all seen as teenagers with enormous potential. That aspect of the Saints’ bloodline hasn’t been diluted. But they are far from ready to be thrust into a rough and tumble relegation battle.

In such a position, the club’s value is increasingly volatile, only making the proposition of a sale harder for Gao. Perhaps that will provoke him into one final cash injection in January to secure their Premier League future. More likely, though, it will bring on more of the same. And what’s left is one of England’s great clubs left in an all too familiar state. And when confusion reigns, chaos is never too far behind.