An intriguing theory has emerged on Twitter from True Faith stat-man Chris Holt, explaining just why Mike Ashley may have dropped his asking price from £400m to £300m – and it makes a fair bit of sense.
As Holt explains in his tweets below, Ashley wanted £400m last October – and, if the Shields Gazette and The Chronicle are to be believed, his asking price has now dropped by a staggering £100m in search of a sale.
Since October last year, we have a net transfer spend of -£20M and it’s well documented that the 2017/18 Premier League season saw the club raise £123m.
Where has this money gone? Well, it seems Ashley may have pocketed it – and this could be why he feels able to reduce the asking price so significantly in order to attract potential buyers.
Here’s what Chris Holt has had to say on Twitter:
…but if he used club funds to pay off a massive amount of his loan, he took on the risk of relegation and the flak for a transfer profit in 2018 in order to get what he wants. A buyer WOULD be paying £300m for exactly the same club/cash reserves Ashley asked £400m for last year
— Chris Holt #IfRafaGoesWeGo (@bigchrisholt) September 19, 2018
I don’t blame anyone for being sceptical or dismissive given what’s gone on over the last 12 months, but this MIGHT just explain why he feels able to drop the asking price.
Has Ashley pocketed the Mitrovic money, the TV cash and refused to spend so that he feels able to drop his asking price to an amount potential buyers would pay? Let’s hope so.
This is what some of us said over summer.
He couldn't get the £400M he wanted so he's technically "stolen" £100M of #NUFC incomings (players sales, TV, sponsor) and dropped his asking price to £300M.
It's hard to trust anything he says…BUT…it could be true this time.
— Burnsie ?NUFC?️ (@BenArfaChance) September 19, 2018
Ok so he pocketed all the money. So sell up quickly and disappear. Leave it to Ananda to sort out your mess.
Dutch(Quote)
He pocketed the money because thats what he does…nothing else…the big fat greedy ugly *******
ASH HATER(Quote)
If this is right then I doubt anything has changed from a buyers perspective v/s last year. Then, the business was priced at £400m and owed Ashley circa £200m which presumably he would have been asked to adjust in the selling price – I.e £200m net cash outlay for the buyer. Now it seems the numbers are £300m price and £100m debt (as he’s reduced his debt by £100m) so it’s still a net £200m cash outlay for any buyer – and for a club whose prospects don’t look great right now. I’d keep the bunting in its box for now !!!
Syd(Quote)
Perhaps as no one has mentioned, the reason he wants to sell, is the fact the club is worth much more than the price he paid and the fact is Ashley is at present engaged in deals that could double his present wealth and income, both in retail takeovers a real estate ventures.
An opportunity for a prospective buyer, now that many are buying clubs from the Championship for almost as much, a club with support and a state of the art stadium, citeh’s owner once approached the club, so location is not as significant as some may think.
chuckno(Quote)
MAY HAVE POCKETED THE MONEY……!
Are you serious.? Where the hell else would it have so mysteriously disappeared to. ?
If he was stiff in his coffin, I still wouldnt believe he wasnt coming back. Theiving lying git…..!
..
peter henderson(Quote)
Ashley’s Sports Direct owns a 30% share in Debenhams, who are on the brink of going the same way as House of Fraser so he may be looking for cash to take it over. It would make business sense to merge the two companies. He sold shares in an American sports clothing company for £90m just before he bought HoF for£90m. Coincidence???
Return of the Jordi(Quote)
Of course he has, there is no way this grubby turd of a man could prevent his fat greedy fingers from grabbing all that money how else would he be able to stump up for House Of Fraser.
Just hope the fat greedy ******* has a heart attack and snuffs it, bevsuse i will gladdly **** on his grave
Allan(Quote)