HalfTimePost Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 (edited) Mohamed Al Fayed is ready to sell Fulham. Al Fayed has owned the Craven Cottage outfit since 1997 and loaned them over £200million as they have risen from League One to the Premier League. But the Egyptian billionaire, 84, is now converting most his assets into cash as he plans his family's future. He sold Harrods in May 2010 to Qatar Holdings and has asked football fixer Keith Harris to drum up a buyer for the Cottagers. The club is valued at £150m-£200m, thanks to the desirable London property it owns. Al Fayed has decided to call time on spell as a football club owner because he is rarely in the UK - and when he is, he prefers to spends his time on his Scottish estate. Last year, £212m in loans from his businesses to Fulham was converted to equity. Cottage buy: Fancy owning a football club? Superb riverside location... Mike Hewitt It saw Fulham's 2011 net debt of £193m wiped away to stand at only £4m - making the club a more attractive proposition to potential buyers. This summer, Fulham have only signed three players, all on Bosmans - Maarten Stekelenburg, Derek Boateng and Fernando Amorebieta. And Al Fayed's decision to turn to football financier and former investment banker Harris is telling. Harris' speciality is finding overseas buyers, after assisting takeovers by Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, Randy Lerner at Aston Villa, Eggert Magnusson at West Ham and Thaksin Shinawatra at Man City. A Fulham spokesperson declined to comment. Mirror Edited July 9, 2013 by HalfTimePost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Wasn't Keith Harris (and Orville) involved with Yeung buying small heath? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Ruskis will be all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Fulham were one of the teams I pegged for relegation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Hope a big buyer doesn't come in and turf them out of that stadium to build a new one/redevelop the heck out of it Fulham were one of the teams I pegged for relegation. Dirty boy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted July 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 10, 2013 Fulham are an asset strippers dream at the right price with the location of their ground. Wonder if he will throw in the Jackson statue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Fulham have been "for sale" to the right bid for five years or so. Their problem is Craven Cottage. Nothing new to see here really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 In fairness to mad old al fayed, you cant blame him for cashing in. He bought the club when they were in division 3/league two and has made them a constant presence in the top flight, which hasnt happened to fulham since the 1960s. Also by accident rather than design, he has kept them at Craven Cottage which has so much character and one of the best away trips in the league with that 'neutral' end. I thought they have planning permission to expand Craven Cottage to around 30,000, which is more than enough for their fan base. I am sure a rich billionaire would be very tempted with Fulham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villarule123 Posted July 10, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted July 10, 2013 I'll buy them just for the statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 In fairness to mad old al fayed, you cant blame him for cashing in. He bought the club when they were in division 3/league two and has made them a constant presence in the top flight, which hasnt happened to fulham since the 1960s. Also by accident rather than design, he has kept them at Craven Cottage which has so much character and one of the best away trips in the league with that 'neutral' end. I thought they have planning permission to expand Craven Cottage to around 30,000, which is more than enough for their fan base. I am sure a rich billionaire would be very tempted with Fulham. I've no doubt they'll sell but as many clubs are finding out not all billionaires are good billionaires. It would be a shame to see such a well looked after club go to the wall. He's been a good owner all things told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted July 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away... Randy Lerner is ready to sell Aston Villa.Lerner has owned the Villa Park outfit since 2007 and loaned them over £200million as they have risen from the bottom of the Premier League up to sixth and then back to the bottom again. But the American billionaire, IQ 84, is now bored and has realised he hasn't got the money to compete. He lost half of all he owns to his estranged wife, some to buying paintings and having art galleries named after himself, and more still on a private jet that he used to use to make the most of his season ticket at Villa Park but has sat gathering dust since it took a 14 year-old Norwegian boy on a day trip to Birmingham last summer. The club is valued at £150m-£200m, this despite only owning a pub that is open one day a week and situated in one of the least desirable areas on Earth. Lerner has decided to call time on his spell as a football club owner because he is rarely in the UK - and when he is, he prefers to spend it drinking AfterShock in Walkabout on Broad Street or buying claret and blue checkered flags outside Villa Park which he uses to decorate the 1:1 replica of Warwick Castle that he had built in Newport, Rhode Island after visiting the original on his first trip to England. Last year, £212m in loans from his trust to Villa was paid back by selling every single person at Villa Park to have even looked at a pair of football boots. Ellis: "Don't look such a bad owner now, do I?" Mike Hewitt It saw Villa's 2011 net debt of £193m reduced by only £4m - still making the club a more attractive proposition to potential buyers than Stephen Ireland. This summer, Villa have signed nearly 40 players, for a combined fee of £86,000. And Lerner's decision to turn to football financier, former investment banker and 80s ventriloquist Keith Harris is telling. Harris' speciality is sticking his hand up hairy arses in front of children and millions of television viewers. A Villa spokesperson declined to comment. Mirror Edited July 11, 2013 by NurembergVillan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 NV you get a like for maximum effort and also for being my second favourite poster on the site. That's right... Second... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted July 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 10, 2013 I'll take second every day of the week. Champions League places are what we're all striving for. Who's first?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 He knows I'm sure. If its any consolation you lost to a 93rd minute Aguero-esq effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddy Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Reports are Shad Khan, the owner of my Jacksonville Jaguars, is the man looking to buy Fulham. Not sure how to feel about this. Obviously my allegiance to Villa isn't in doubt but this has certain implications regarding my NFL team. On the flip side, though, we're supposed to be getting an NASL team soon; maybe this will be the start of a yearly friendly between the two played at Everbank Field with a view of increasing interest in footy in the city and eventually an MLS expansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted July 11, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted July 11, 2013 Holy crap, the Jaguars fans are taking over.ISTR that Lerner was first interested in buying Fulham, but Harris pointed him towards Villa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 He knows I'm sure. If its any consolation you lost to a 93rd minute Aguero-esq effort.yes I know but I don't like to brag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Fulham Jaguars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Pretty sure Craven Cottage (or part of it at least) is a listed building so I don't think a new owner will get away with bulldozing it for houses. Hope this works out well for them, a proper club in a lovely old ground with decent fans. Nothing to dislike about them at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Steve Sidwell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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