Could Massimo Cellino soon return to English football?
Massimo Cellino is interested in a prospective purchase of League One club Charlton Athletic.
According to Italian site Brescia In Gol, the 67-year-old wants to return to English football.
Cellino presently owns Brescia, who are ranked eighth in the Italian second tier. However, he is no stranger to English football, having previously owned Leeds United from January 2014 to May 2017.
Now it appears that he wants to return to the Football League and has already picked his next target.
Cellino considering a Charlton takeover.
According to the most recent update, Cellino has received an offer from an unknown American company to buy Brescia.
It is alleged that the bid is worth €18-20 million. That is less than Cellino’s estimated €25 million worth for the Italian second-tier side.
Even said, negotiations over a prospective Brescia sale are set to continue next week, which could have an impact on Charlton’s potential move.
According to the article, Cellino would not want to sell Brescia unless another team was prepared to buy.
The 67-year-old is also thought to want to play English football again after leaving Elland Road.
As a result, he appears to have expressed an interest in owning Charlton. The Addicks are presently owned by SE7Partners, which includes Charlie Methven, a former Sunderland director.
The group just bought the League One club from Danish businessman Thomas Sandgaard last summer.
Charlton is stabilising under Nathan Jones.
Charlton has had a difficult season on the pitch, with both Dean Holden and Michael Appleton fired from their management positions as the Addicks faced relegation this season.
However, the Addicks have begun to find their feet again since the arrival of Nathan Jones in February.
They are currently on a 12-game unbeaten streak, which has propelled them to 15th place in the League One table, 11 points clear of relegation, with only a few games remaining before the season ends.
Charlton’s next game is at The Abbey Stadium on Saturday afternoon, against Cambridge United.
Cellino takeover would be an issue for the Addicks.
It appears that most Charlton supporters would prefer to avoid a Massimo Cellino takeover.
The team has experienced a high turnover of managers and owners in recent years.
Distraction and uncertainty do not appear to have benefited them as they remain in League One.
As a result, it appears that they require some stability and consistency, which Jones should be able to deliver on the pitch.
Indeed, given his higher-level experience, many will be convinced that he will finally be able to lead the team forward.
However, given how volatile his period in control of Leeds was, with a slew of managerial changes and off-field controversies, there would undoubtedly be concerns that a Cellino takeover may jeopardize that.
After everything the club has been through in recent years, they will undoubtedly want to avoid it, and SE7 may not want to leave The Valley so soon after taking ownership.
With that in mind, this appears to be one link that no one associated with Charlton Athletic will be particularly pleased with.
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