Finance expert hints at possible reason behind Reading FC takeover collapse | OneFootball

Maguire believes the price of the club or a potential shifting of goalposts could have caused a deal to fail.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes there could be some key reasons behind Rob Couhig's failure to secure a takeover of League One side Reading.

Speaking on The Price of Football podcast, before news of the takeover collapse emerged, Maguire pointed out that there may have been a shifting of goalposts, with the two parties potentially failing to come to an agreed price in the end.

The Royals confirmed that ex-Wycombe Wanderers owner Couhig and Redwood Holdings had pulled out of the race, with the club also claiming that they had enough money to last until a sale is finally complete.

The supporters will want to see or hear proof of this, because it's Redwood that have helped to keep the third-tier club afloat in recent months with their loans to the club.

The fact these loans have been repaid, with interest, shows that money is available, but whether the club now has funds is a different story.

The Royals will need to have a sufficient amount of funds for a considerable amount of time if an ounce of stability is to return to the Select Car Leasing Stadium, with yesterday's news causing a major uproar.

They may not be in the worst league position at this point, but they could slide down the table if they don't make any additions in the coming months, and the chances of the club making any signings whilst Dai is still owner are almost zero.

Kieran McKenna on potential reasons why Reading FC takeover didn't go through

Maguire spoke on The Price of Football podcast before the takeover collapsed, but even at that point, it looked as though the sale was on the verge of collapsing and he gave a couple of reasons for this outcome.

He said: "By all accounts, he (Rob Couhig) has lent money to Reading Football Club to help them over the course of the summer.

"They've also substantially benefitted from Crystal Palace selling Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, I think they had a 10% sell-on clause, that'll be worth another £5m-£6m.

"Rob Couhig has supposedly lent £5m himself so they have had enough cash to pay the bills because their women's team was effectively closed down because they decided they weren't going to pay the wages there and so on.

"The reason why the deal has stalled, for want of a better phrase, is unknown. In my experience, and my experience is very limited to when I worked for a firm of administrators many, many years ago. Things just come down to price.

"Some people have a habit of, right at the last minute, trying to get a little bit extra or sell a bit less and so on. I don't like those types of negotiations.

"We did have Rob Couhig on the show two or three years ago - he's a tough-talking lawyer. He isn't going to be the type of person to allow somebody to move the goalposts at the last minute."

Maguire also believes that it may have been difficult to track down current owner Dai Yongge - and that could have been another key reason why the deal failed in the end.

Reading FC fans need proof of funds

Looking to the near future, fans need proof that the club can remain afloat until a sale is complete.

Saying it is one thing, but proving it is another and proof of this could help to calm the supporters down during what is an extremely emotional time for the fanbase.

Once this funds claim is substantiated, supporters can then decide what to do next.

Plenty of protests have taken place - and they will now need to decide what they believe is most effective in their quest to see a sale materialise.

A deep breath is needed though and more information will need to be uncovered. An in-game protest probably isn't the answer.