Gareth Bale consortium would make £117m move at Cardiff City ‘instantly’ after takeover from Vincent Tan

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We could see Gareth Bale back in the EFL soon, but this time as one of the owners at Cardiff City. Now, in an EFL Analysis exclusive, we look deeper into the role he’d play and how much money would come into the Welsh club.

It came as a surprise last week when Bale was linked with a move to take over Plymouth Argyle, in what was suspected to be an advisory capacity as the face of a consortium.

We were already planning out the signings Bale could help make for Plymouth, when there came a twist in the tale; Bale was not buying Argyle, but was fronting a bid for fellow League One outfit and his boyhood club, Cardiff City.

That makes a lot more sense, given his connections to the club and the city. But, to really get to the bottom of what’s going on, EFL Analysis has picked the brain of our resident finance expert Adam Williams.

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Finance expert outlines Gareth Bale approach for Cardiff City

Discussing what Bale’s involvement means and what the structure of the proposed consortium might look like, Williams said: “It’s difficult to say what any new ownership would mean for Cardiff if we only know the identity of one of the people in the consortium. The language in the report describes Bale as ‘leading’ the bid, but I strongly suspect that means he is the public face as opposed to the main source of capital behind it.

“There are a number of multi-billionaires in the Championship these days and, though he was phenomenally well paid as a player and I’m sure has made good investments, his wealth doesn’t really compare.

“That said, I think his presence would clearly inspire a buzz at Cardiff. That can be helpful commercially and, given that they’ve just been relegated, it would be a clean break with the previous era. Emotionally, it makes sense.”

Bale certainly fits the bill if any new owners are looking to give Cardiff a sentimental boost, but what about the financials of it all?

Williams added: “It sounds like it’s a private equity bid, which is the new trend in the EFL. We’ve seen a few from this industry enter the fray recently.

“At an operating level, Cardiff aren’t in the worst shape financially. The wage bill was on the high side in the last financial year but I don’t think that will be prohibitive as long as they have structured their squad’s contracts smartly and they player-trade well. You’re always going to have to re-base your squad after relegation anyway.

“There’s £117m worth of debt on the balance but most of that is to the owner or owner-linked entities. That’s something that would be factored into the sale price anyway – I suspect that Tan realises he isn’t going to get that money back. That’s probably going to be wiped out instantly as part of any takeover.”

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Welsh rivalry could become even bigger as Wrexham and Cardiff compete

While EFL experts have branded Cardiff the ‘worst run’ club in the football pyramid, it’s clear that this takeover, if it comes to fruition, would right many of those wrongs quite quickly.

Not only would it be a massive boost financially, but commercially the club could really put itself on the map. Ironically, Bale and co. must surely be looking at the success of Welsh rivals Wrexham for inspiration on that front.

While Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady trade blows in a friendly manner, the healthy competition between those two megastar owners has been a joy to watch as a neutral. Throw in a Gareth Bale-led Cardiff and Wrexham would have another big-name rival to clash with.

The problem for Cardiff, of course, will be getting back to the Championship as soon as possible so they can realistically challenge the likes of Wrexham and Swansea. Right now, the Bluebirds are the third wheel in Wales. Gareth Bale can change that.