Rangers hero shares what Leeds insiders have told him about 49ers takeover deal
Rangers’ entire 2024/25 season has been a write-off.
From being forced to play home games at Hampden Park to Philippe Clement being sacked, it’s been a turgid year for Rangers fans.
However, the future is looking bright with Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises closing in on a deal to become the majority owners of the Scottish Premiership giants.
There’s understandably a lot of buzz about the incoming businessmen, especially due to the latest murmurs that have emerged out of the 49ers’ current British football club, Leeds United.
Dave McKinnon excited by Leeds whispers ahead of Rangers takeover
Leeds won promotion back to the Premier League this season as Championship title-winners.
They assembled a squad in the English championship that was not only expensive but also packed with so much quality that they might not even have to make too many drastic changes this summer in order to survive in the Premier League.
49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe has led the way as chairman at Elland Road and he’s now a major player in the deal that will see new majority owners at Ibrox.
Former Rangers star Dave McKinnon says he has sources at Leeds that suggest the 49ers’ arrival in Govan will be a great thing, especially as it’ll reset the focus in the Rangers boardroom as they look to seize back the title of being top dogs in Scotland.
“Now there’s a fresh vision hopefully coming in. I know some prominent people at Leeds United. They have been quite impressed with the way it’s been run under the owners,” McKinnon told Mail Sport (25 May, page 53).
| Club | Owner(s) | Estimated combined net worth |
| QPR | Lakshmi Mittal | $15billion |
| Leeds | 49ers Enterprises & Red Bull | $6.7billion |
| Stoke | John Coates | $4.3billion |
| Bristol City | Stephen Lansdown | $2.6billion |
| Sunderland | Kyril Louis-Dreyfus & Juan Sartori | $2.1billion |
“Good investors understand that they’re not good at everything. They bring in specialists in different areas that understand the game.
“My understanding of the people within the Leeds organisation is that they quickly realised that they needed people with the football knowledge to make things happen.
“You need to align everything within a football club – the objectives of the board, the football management, the commercial side, the fans.
“If they all work together and understand the part they can play in success, then you get success.
“That’s what I’ve heard these guys do. That’s a real positive because unless you get the football side right, you can forget the rest.”
When will Rangers takeover be completed?
Takeover discussions have been going on for around half a year now and these things can take a lot of time.
With Rangers, it’s likely taking longer than normal due to the number of Ibrox stakeholders involved in the deal because the club’s ownership is scattered across multiple businessmen, some of whom have been open to selling their shares, and some who have not.
Dave King, who is selling his Rangers shares, has previously mentioned that the takeover is expected to be done by mid-June, meaning there could be around three or four weeks left to go.
Fans will no doubt hope it’s done quicker though because Rangers won’t be far away from starting their European qualifiers by then and a new manager will want to know what sort of money he has to play with in the summer transfer window.