‘Game changer’ billionaire on Forbes rich list will rival Wrexham and Birmingham after takeover of League One club
WYCOMBE WANDERERS have been taken over by a Kazakhstan billionaire.
Mikheil Lomtadze’s Blue Ocean Partners Ltd has purchased 90 per cent of the club that was owned by American businessman Rob Couhig since 2022.
Lomtadze, 48, is worth £4.54billion and is the 532nd richest person in the world.
He is the founder and CEO of a leading tech company Kazakh-based Kaspi.kz.
The purchase of the club has been described as a “game changer” by PwC.
Wycombe fans will hope that his arrival at the club can help them climb up the English football ladder.
Lomtadze said: “Our goal is to achieve long-term success both on and off the pitch whilst building a financially sustainable club.
“The football world is evolving very fast and our priority will be to integrate data analytics and technology to elevate the club’s performance to new levels.
“I am also a strong believer in youth development and it will be fundamental to the club’s vision.
“We aim to re-open and build a leading high-performance academy which will become an essential part of our long-term strategy of developing a club that consistently performs at the top level.”
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Wycombe finished 10th in League One and face another tough season to gain promotion next season.
Tom Brady’s Birmingham City, Huddersfield and Rotherham dropped into the division from the Championship.
While ambitious Wrexham gained promotion from League Two thanks to the help from Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Couhig has insisted that Lomtadze shares his values and is excited for the future of the club.
He said: “I am excited for the future of Wycombe Wanderers
“Last year, I announced that I had begun looking at a possible succession plan for our ownership.
“Since then, I met with a significant number of well qualified people. Last fall, Mikheil and I met and decided to explore his potential role with the club.
“It was apparent from that first meeting that Mikheil and I shared similar values of speaking directly and honestly with each other.
“I came to understand that his goals for the club were similar to mine.
“Important to me, although often separated by a 12-hour time difference, we became friends.
“The logical conclusion to those discussions was culminated today with the transfer of Feliciana EFL Limited to his company.
“The board of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club will have three new directors, Mikheil, Eduard Vyshnyakov, and Daniel Rice.
“The board has asked me to convey its and the Wanderers family’s appreciation for the great work that Missy Couhig and Pete Couhig have done for the Club and community since June 2019.
“As for me, Mikheil has asked and I have agreed to continue as Chairman during the transition of ownership. Please join me in welcoming Mikheil, Eduard and Dan to the club.”