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Multi-team model in question at Southampton

One year after Sport Republic took over, Southampton face a real threat of relegation.

Southampton is Sport Republic’s flagship club within its multi-team model. The only other club they currently own are Turkish second-division side Goztepe.

The Athletic has revealed that, before Sport Republic arrived, Southampton were looking at potential investment from ownership models that involved a multi-team strategy. Chief executive Martin Semmens actively sought buyers with these credentials and expressed the benefits of utilising a multi-team approach.

Southampton accept their summer investment at the end of last season — where they signed 10 players and recorded a net spend of £76million ($91.2m) which was the eighth highest in the Premier League — resulted in a larger turnover of players than they would have wanted. Though it was deemed necessary in order to drive through a new-found vision, Southampton’s squad had grown stale and major surgery was required.

Southampton’s Premier League survival this season is essential for the short-term success of Sport Republic’s business model. It’s likely to determine how quickly they can put their multi-team plans into full working order. Relegation would result in inevitable casualties to a squad which already underwent serious change only last summer. 


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