The claims in the media suggesting that LD Sports are going to pull out of their £7.5 million a year deal with Saints could actually be positive news for Saints fans and could suggest that the club could be about to change ownership.

When Chinese Company LD Sports were announced as the main sponsor of Saints in May 2019 in a 3 year deal worth £7.5 million a year it was shrouded in controversy and secrecy, the company did not appear to exist and it's only web presence seemed to be a holding page, which soon just became little more than a site with some Saints news feed on it.

Even now the website is sketchy, initially it was suggested that LD Sports built sports grounds, as mentioned the company didn't seem to exist at the time, but now it seems their main business is training camps for kids in China, strangely the site says the company's headquarters is Southampton UK.

LD Sports, is now described as a sports content, marketing and entertainment platform in China.

Most assumed that this was just a front for Saints owner Jisheng Gao to enable him to get money into the club through sponsorship.

The disintegrating relationship between China and the West, has seen a change in policy by the Chinese government in allowing the nation's company's investing in the West, not just in sport which it has previously encouraged but in all areas.

That has been a factor in Gao's low profile of late and has led to whispers that the club is up for sale, the truth in that is that all football club's are up open for offer's , Saints included but that does not mean there is a for sale notice outside.

But the political situation would suggest that Gao would be more open to offers than most.

Indeed Wolves have been actively seeking investment for the past year, Blackburn Rovers have also confirmed their partnership with main sponsor - Chinese gambling company 10 BET - has ended and The Mail state they understand at least one other Premier League with a Chinese sponsor, is facing the same nightmare situation ahead of the new season.

The report in the Mail Online suggests that there was a break clause in the contract, but I would assume that clause would have had to be revoked on the anniversary of the deal back in May, hence that Saints went ahead in producing the shirts for the forthcoming season with LD on them.

So this move on the cusp of the new season suggests that there is a reason for the late pull out.

This site was made aware several weeks ago by a third party that they understood that the club was in talks with a potential new owner and that those talks were at an advanced stage.

This latest news could suggest that this information was correct and that if Gao is about to relinquish ownership and if LD Sports is little more than one of his companies, then if he where to sell the club why would he want to pump £7.5 million in to promote a company that barely seems to exist.

So the latest twist in the Southampton FC tale, a story that seems to never be a simple one, could actually be a positive one, part of any potential deal would be that Gao would pull the sponsorship of LD sports, but if the information I had is correct then the loss of £7.5 million a year would be small change and a new sponsor will not be difficult to find.

The Mail seem to be able to quote sources within the club, so presumably are being briefed, they say the club is already planning how to work with fans that have splashed out on the new shirt, once the LD Sports decision is made official.

In conclusion the fact that Saints have already put the new shirts on sale with LD Sports on them and even worn them in the final Premier League game of the season, suggest that the break clause was not instigated, but that something else is afoot and that something could be a change of ownership.

Photo: Action Images

saintmark1976 added 10:18 - Aug 16 At the start of last season you couldn’t get any sort of new home shirt. This season the fixtures haven’t even started, but you can get a shirt with every chance that it will have the wrong sponsor on the front? Sometimes with the Saints you wouldn’t believe it if you read it in a novel.
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Ripleys_revenge added 10:20 - Aug 16 Interesting perspective Nick. Have to say I'd be surprised if the late sponsorship pull out indicates further signs of new owner interest - surely potential new owners would have wanted to avoid the loss of 7.5 million a year and seen this coming. Can't think of any football investors (who are uniformly tight) who would be willing to write this off? What do I know though, I'd love to be wrong. One thing that does encourage me is the timing of this - seems like it would be a great time to invest in Saints if you have some capital lined up. We're very much looking upwards once again, with a lot of optimism going into next season and moving further forward. If I was an investor, I'd see Saints as very high potential at this point. Will be interesting to see how all this develops

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SaintNick added 10:23 - Aug 16 You are right potential owners would want the simplicity of a sponsor being in place, but they are essentially dealing with the owner who if he sells the club doesnt want to spend £7.5 million on it. So from this perspective it is not a strange situation, a new buyer will just have to accept he will have to sign up a new sponsor, possibly a one off deal for a year, the loss of a few million won't be an issue if this goes through

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highfield49 added 10:44 - Aug 16 It's a good day for speculation and rumours. Obafemi on his way out and Ntcham back on the radar are interesting developments. The speculation around ownership and sponsorship at St Mary's is, once again, intriguing. We all know that there are thriving global businesses that have been growing despite recession and interest from any of those could take us to a new level. Could the people interested in taking over Newcastle, despite their political baggage, have switched their attentions to Saints or indeed the investors who were connected to Sunderland a few weeks ago? I don't suppose Liebherr have decided it's time to expand their profile in the UK? Their product range is vast but not too visible in UK marketing compared to Europe. Hopefully all will become clear very quickly.

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Knibbosaint added 11:57 - Aug 16 The same rag that recently said Saints had been hit so hard by the Pandemic lockdown that we would be selling all of our players to stay afloat.
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60yearsandcounting added 12:35 - Aug 16 Don't forget, we are in the annual "silly season"! I recently saw an article headed "The 86 Championship free agents Saints could snap up". And I thought Ralph wanted to trim his squad!!!
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Sanguin added 12:37 - Aug 16 It's worrying that such a well established global brand like LD Sports would even consider pulling out of a sponsorship deal. I don't think LD Sports have ever before in their history pulled out of a deal. I always thought LD Sports benefited hugely from the exposure of being Saints' primary sponsor, given how important their premier league advertising is to their core business model. It will be interesting to see if LD Sports continues to operate the same kind of business model, or pivots into new areas. Given the billions of people whose lives are directly shaped by companies like LD Sports, this could have much further reaching consequences than just the £15m per year that Saints receive.

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IanRC added 14:21 - Aug 16 Ever the optimist Nick. Hope you are correct but sceptical. Also not a lot of potential sponsors are looking to splash the cash just now given the situation.
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VancouverSaint added 18:53 - Aug 16 If this is true, it is a very sudden decision. New kit etc. Maybe the clause had something about if the ownership changes then they can withdraw their sponsorship. Personally I would love to have a British owner with deep pockets, passionate about the team and not a stay away, invisible one like Kat or Mr GAO. My vote would be Sir Jim Radcliffe, a big sponsor of sports teams with local connections and a home in Beaulieu. He could even develop the lands around the stadium for added benefits. I’d better pinch myself to wake up from my dream!

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the_saint added 19:16 - Aug 16 marketing team needs sacking a couple of seasons it was the yellow kit late last season the home kit was late and they missed a trick marketing their own face masks which would of sold like hot cakes
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ItchenNorth added 20:58 - Aug 16 It was a very dodgy deal in the first place. Ok, it was the biggest sponsorship deal the club had ever made, but the company hadn't even started trading when they signed. We should have stayed well clear of Lander and any associated business relationship partner but hey; money talks. Good riddance I say.
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underweststand added 06:27 - Aug 17 Politics getting in the way of sport - again. Now the big TV media is fearful that the Chinese will hack their Prem. matches for free... and draw in money from their home market without paying Sky / BT for the service. As for the LD agreement ?..Ouch ! . £7.5 million is no drop in the Ocean, but it's a lot less than the hit we will take when ridding ourselves of Hoedt, Carrillo, Lemina and Co.

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SaintBrock added 15:09 - Aug 18 Would have thought the shirt colours favour a return of Virgin Media
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