[BalisPen]

Fosun bought the dings because their business partner mendes told them to as it was cheap and the council ground didn't need updating.

[PartisanBaggie]

Interesting, but where does that sit in making profits on Doherty & Jota?

The Doherty sale is an unusual one because he’s been a consistent performer for the Dingles for some time and scored vital goals here and there. I was surprised they allowed him to leave for only £15million and so quickly too. All I can tell you is both he and Jose Mourinho share the same agent, coincidentally.

I know Diogo Jota has been disgruntled at Wolves since early last season, but again I’m surprised he’s gone to Liverpool. He’s good, but he ain’t that good.

The spin will be the money raised from these sales is being reinvested back into the squad. But I don’t know if it will. Mendes makes large commissions on the buying and selling of players with Fosun getting a 30% kick-back each time.

[PartisanBaggie]

Fosun bought the dings because their business partner mendes told them to as it was cheap and the council ground didn't need updating.

Wolverhampton City Council one the land the custard bowl is built upon.

But yes they were definitely purchased on the cheap. 👍🏻

[LiamTheBaggie]

We’ve never had any money to know different - and when we did some cash we spent it all on rubbish.

I’m not sure why some are getting such a fixation with the owners. He’s doing exactly what he said he would.. which is no different to how we’ve operated over the last 30 years..

[darbolina]

When fans of other clubs (Villa and wolves) comment on us being cheap, I point to the fact everything we've ever achieved has been through imagination and creativity not loads of cash so why can't we do it again? Vision, creativity and imagination are what's missing now for us I think. We used to do what Brentford do but much better than them with Dan Ashworth. We've never really replaced this approach since we ripped it up to accomodate Pulis and his huge ego. This is the bigger problem than money/ budget. Our whole approach needs to go back to building teams and a structure with vision and so that it will outlive players and coaches who come and go very frequently...........other clubs who do this (Brighton now funnily enough with Dan Ashworth) are having relative success in not being silly with money and building the club with a clear vision............ good leadership is not all about money or Man U would be top every year.

Painfully, Lai seems to have a fraction of the interest that Peace had in us as a club hence he is not another Peace, we're worse off than under Peace

[TheJacko2000]

When fans of other clubs (Villa and wolves) comment on us being cheap, I point to the fact everything we've ever achieved has been through imagination and creativity not loads of cash so why can't we do it again? Vision, creativity and imagination are what's missing now for us I think. We used to do what Brentford do but much better than them with Dan Ashworth. We've never really replaced this approach since we ripped it up to accomodate Pulis and his huge ego. This is the bigger problem than money/ budget. Our whole approach needs to go back to building teams and a structure with vision and so that it will outlive players and coaches who come and go very frequently...........other clubs who do this (Brighton now funnily enough with Dan Ashworth) are having relative success in not being silly with money and building the club with a clear vision............ good leadership is not all about money or Man U would be top every year.

Painfully, Lai seems to have a fraction of the interest that Peace had in us as a club hence he is not another Peace, we're worse off than under Peace

Pulis has been gone for 3 years. Ample time for the club to sort out the scouting and recruitment. They simply havent attempted it and instead of a manager calling all the shots weve now got the DOF version of TP doing it.

Luckily we occasionally get someone in that Slav has identified.

[PartisanBaggie]

Can’t help but feel we’ve gone backwards under this Chinese ownership. Personally, I never wanted them in the first place. I do understand JP had taken the club to his limit and we’d go no further than that under his ownership. I’m just disappointed we’ve ended up with the Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development Limited. I accept it could be much worse, but it could (and I hoped) it would be slightly better.

[boinging_along]

We've got the only Chinese businessman with no money.

[overseas baggie]

The Doherty sale is an unusual one because he’s been a consistent performer for the Dingles for some time and scored vital goals here and there. I was surprised they allowed him to leave for only £15million and so quickly too. All I can tell you is both he and Jose Mourinho share the same agent, coincidentally.

I know Diogo Jota has been disgruntled at Wolves since early last season, but again I’m surprised he’s gone to Liverpool. He’s good, but he ain’t that good.

The spin will be the money raised from these sales is being reinvested back into the squad. But I don’t know if it will. Mendes makes large commissions on the buying and selling of players with Fosun getting a 30% kick-back each time.

Fosun are suffering heavily on the financial front.  They had foreign currency reserves which enabled them to pump money into Wolves but that evaporated when Thomas Cook went under.  That means they have to try to get foreign currency out of China, and they are struggling, not least because they have already had issues on that front with the Chinese government.

[darbolina]

Pulis has been gone for 3 years. Ample time for the club to sort out the scouting and recruitment. They simply havent attempted it and instead of a manager calling all the shots weve now got the DOF version of TP doing it.

Luckily we occasionally get someone in that Slav has identified.

Exactly, the main failing of Lai's tenure is not building anything.  Often standing still is going backwards as we're seeing now. We're where we were in 2002 looking to yo yo until someone with a plan comes along (as Peaces moneyball approach with ashworth).

[gazberg]

Forget the investment of lack of as multiple people have said its his complete lack of interest or development on any level that's raising people's ire. It's not hard to understand.


Yes we know it's his club and he can do what he likes before you lot chip in but most fans want their club to advance. Not everyone is content to tread water which in the football world is moving backwards.

[baggie82]

Chris Lewpowski has an interesting nugget on his latest podcast with Adrian Goldberg today. He said that his sources have told him that Lai took out a personal nine figure loan to fund the purchase of the club. That Lai borrowed at least £100m to help fund the purchase from an unknown financier or bank which must be Chinese. That is going to need repaying at some point by Lai. It shouldn't directly affect the club unless he starts taking money out save for if he can't repay the loan the financier will be able to call in the debt and take the club over.

[BalisPen]

Chris Lewpowski has an interesting nugget on his latest podcast with Adrian Goldberg today. He said that his sources have told him that Lai took out a personal nine figure loan to fund the purchase of the club. That Lai borrowed at least £100m to help fund the purchase from an unknown financier or bank which must be Chinese. That is going to need repaying at some point by Lai. It shouldn't directly affect the club unless he starts taking money out save for if he can't repay the loan the financier will be able to call in the debt and take the club over.

I have been saying this for ages. Money was very cheap to borrow when purchased us, it isn't now.

Let's hope if he defaults the person who ends up owning us has more interest and can invest more. More likely though is it will be a bank who will then sell us for pennies on yuan.

If Peace really gave a toss for us he wouldn't have sold to someone who was so highly leveraged. Peace is the worse thing ever happened to us not Lai. He built nothing and took everything and sold to numpty who probably didn't even know we could get relegated and thought it was like the nfl.

[leeiswba]

I have been saying this for ages. Money was very cheap to borrow when purchased us, it isn't now.

Let's hope if he defaults the person who ends up owning us has more interest and can invest more. More likely though is it will be a bank who will then sell us for pennies on yuan.

If Peace really gave a toss for us he wouldn't have sold to someone who was so highly leveraged. Peace is the worse thing ever happened to us not Lai. He built nothing and took everything and sold to numpty who probably didn't even know we could get relegated and thought it was like the nfl.

To say Peace built nothing is rubbish mate, he completely changed the club on the field and off whether as people say that was for his personal gain or not. Whatever you think we still had our most successful period for 30-35 years under peace.

[johnny Cash]

Chris Lewpowski has an interesting nugget on his latest podcast with Adrian Goldberg today. He said that his sources have told him that Lai took out a personal nine figure loan to fund the purchase of the club. That Lai borrowed at least £100m to help fund the purchase from an unknown financier or bank which must be Chinese. That is going to need repaying at some point by Lai. It shouldn't directly affect the club unless he starts taking money out save for if he can't repay the loan the financier will be able to call in the debt and take the club over.

I don't really follow Lewpowski, so I haven't really formed an opinion when it has been suggested he seems to have a grudge against the club now.

However I'd be inclined to believe it if he is spouting stuff like that. What global bank is giving out 9 figure personal loans, especially to buy a football club that had a reasonable chance of relegation?

The is probably only a few handfuls of people on the planet you'd consider loaning that sort of money too, and they wouldn't need it. 

This is before you question rwho CL knows that is either that close to Lai, or close to Chinese banking. There is such limited personal info on him and his company, I can't see how his personal stuff would be so public.

He might have loaned 9 figures in Yuan, but that's a completely different amount to imply.

[baggie82]

It’s not far fetched for Chinese billionaires to persuade a Chinese investment fund or bank to lend £100m. You have property developers across the UK who borrow several times that every year. Lewpowski wasn’t trying to run the club down, listening to his podcast he comes across as honest and a fan. I don’t detect any agenda. He didn’t criticise the funding / loan of Lai, just made the point that if reinforces the message that he’s not putting any money into the club. He also said that pre-covid Lai was looking for outside investment.

[johnny Cash]

It’s not far fetched for Chinese billionaires to persuade a Chinese investment fund or bank to lend £100m. You have property developers across the UK who borrow several times that every year. Lewpowski wasn’t trying to run the club down, listening to his podcast he comes across as honest and a fan. I don’t detect any agenda. He didn’t criticise the funding / loan of Lai, just made the point that if reinforces the message that he’s not putting any money into the club. He also said that pre-covid Lai was looking for outside investment.

You are describing private  equity financing. Completely different to a personal loan.

[PartisanBaggie]

To say Peace built nothing is rubbish mate, he completely changed the club on the field and off whether as people say that was for his personal gain or not. Whatever you think we still had our most successful period for 30-35 years under peace.

The clubs fortunes began to change when Paul Thompson became chairman.

[gazberg]

Paul Thompson and Gary Megson for me started our turnaround. Peace then saw a fantastic money making opportunity for himself and made a power play when they all fell out.

[leeiswba]

Thompson and Megson certainly did start the turn around, but we were finishing in the top half of the premierleague 15 years after Thompson left, he either built one hell of a legacy or Peace did something right.

Thompson announce that he was leaving in May 2002, if you don’t think this club changed on and off the pitch dramatically since then well I don’t really know what to say.

[baggie82]

You are describing private  equity financing. Completely different to a personal loan.

I'm aware of that, Lai certainly wasn't acting as you or I would walking into Barclays. Lewpowski didn't say anymore than he has been told by sources that Lai borrowed a nine figure sum in sterling, so at least £100m to help part fund the purchase.

[BalisPen]

To say Peace built nothing is rubbish mate, he completely changed the club on the field and off whether as people say that was for his personal gain or not. Whatever you think we still had our most successful period for 30-35 years under peace.

You're right, I was wrong peace put in a lot of his own money and didn't create scheme after scheme to force small life long wba fans of their shared.

Our 16 year stay out of the top tier wasn't started by the very capable businessman Paul Thompson who definitely couldn't have done the same as JP, as it takes a true genius to use club generated money to employ people to scout players and employ great managers like Alan Irvine and pepe Mel and yo yo for years.

I particularly admire the old squad he left on the field and off it the magnificent new two tier Jeremy Peace stand.

Cannot wait to get a season ticket in top tier of that.

Heck, I will even be the first to contribute to a build a jp statue.

I true Albion legend is our jezza and did wionders for us.

[baggiejohn]

I don't really follow Lewpowski, so I haven't really formed an opinion when it has been suggested he seems to have a grudge against the club now.

However I'd be inclined to believe it if he is spouting stuff like that. What global bank is giving out 9 figure personal loans, especially to buy a football club that had a reasonable chance of relegation?

The is probably only a few handfuls of people on the planet you'd consider loaning that sort of money too, and they wouldn't need it. 

This is before you question rwho CL knows that is either that close to Lai, or close to Chinese banking. There is such limited personal info on him and his company, I can't see how his personal stuff would be so public.

He might have loaned 9 figures in Yuan, but that's a completely different amount to imply.

Now that's an interesting observation, isn't 9 figures in Yuan around 8 figures in pounds sterling?

[gazberg]

Yes 100m Yuan is about 11m quid

[Webby]

I always find it interesting, no one fully or really knows our finances yet people keep saying Lai should just "loosen" the purse strings for the sake of risk and reward.

Imagine I walked into your home and said, extend this kitchen it will cost you 20-30k but the risk/reward is maybe in 2/3 years your house would be worth 80-100k more (random figures). Just "loosen" your purse strings. You'd quite possibly tell me as good as that sounds you just can't afford or fund that right now (or just F off). Fair does.

If the money isn't there, the money isn't there. Even for a football club.