Football League World
·24 June 2025
Why Turki Alalshikh would want to seal Bristol City takeover - there are 3 obvious reasons

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·24 June 2025
It has been reported that Saudi businessman Turki Alalshikh is interested in buying Bristol City.
Bristol City are the subject of interest from Turki Alalshikh, as the Saudi businessman looks to buy a football club.
He has been heavily involved in boxing over the past few years, with Alalshikh credited with making some of the biggest fights we have seen in the sport.
And it now seems he is ready to turn to football, with previous reports claiming he was looking to purchase Millwall or Southampton.
In a fresh twist, it’s now thought he could look to buy Bristol City from owner Steve Lansdown, with Alalshikh said to be ‘checking’ the Championship side.
It’s unclear whether a formal bid will be made, or whether a deal is realistic, but it’s certain to get Robins’ fans talking.
Alalshikh is the sort of owner that would be in the game for glory, and that can be hard to find in modern football if you don’t buy one of the top clubs.
However, there is a potential story at Bristol City, as they haven’t been in the top division of English football since 1980, whilst the city is the largest to have not had a Premier League team.
So, there is a story there, and the long-term aim could be to establish the club in the top-flight, with the Premier League now undoubtedly the biggest global league on the planet.
Following on from that, it feels like there is a lot of untapped potential at Bristol City.
As mentioned, Bristol is a very big city, and whilst we can’t forget Rovers, it does mean there is the possibility of developing a huge fan base at Ashton Gate.
As a businessman, Alalshikh will recognise the room to improve. If the team is successful, you could see an improved stadium with a bigger capacity, and there is a massive catchment area to encourage and identify the next generation to come along to Ashton Gate.
Finally, and to the credit of Lansdown and all involved at Bristol City right now, it’s not as if Alalshikh would be taking over a club in a mess.
They have their own training ground, a successful academy, a women’s team, and they own Ashton Gate. On the pitch, whilst things ended in disappointment, they did reach the play-offs, so there is clearly a lot of quality in the squad.
So, the foundations are in place, and it means Bristol City are in a position to kick-on in the years to come with the right investment and decision-making.