Toronto FC owners in talks to buy Saint-Etienne

MLS side Toronto FC may be the latest club to have its owner engage in multi-club ownership, this time with French outfit Saint-Etienne. The French side announced that it has engaged in talks with Kilmer Sports Ventures. Canadian Larry Tanenbaum owns Kilmer Sports Ventures, and he serves as the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, or MLSE. This group serves as the ownership for many of the professional sports teams in Toronto. That includes the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, CFL’s Argonauts and Major League Soccer side Toronto FC.

Kilmer Sports Ventures owns 25% of MLSE, meaning Tanenbaum plays an ownership role in Toronto FC. Kilmer Sports Ventures adding Saint-Etienne to its ownership would mean he would have an ownership role in multiple soccer teams on different continents. In other words, he would add to a trend of owners having multiple clubs to oversee.

The benefits of this generally come in the transfer market. Clubs operating under a shared owner have the benefit of developing players in different leagues. For example, the City Football Group owns Manchester City and New York City FC in MLS, among other global sides. Angeliño and Jack Harrison are two players who played for NYCFC to develop. Then, after one or two seasons in Major League Soccer, the club pulled each back to Europe. It allows Manchester City to save money on transfers while also allowing players to develop.

The gap between those two clubs is sizeable. The related difference between Toronto FC and Saint-Etienne still exists, but it is not as large. Therefore, Tanenbaum and Kilmer Sports Ventures nearing a takeover of Saint-Etienne may not have the same interchange of players, but there is still ample potential for this relationship.

Toronto FC and Saint-Etienne would have the ability to exchange

Take managerial changes as an example. Saint-Etienne can earn promotion into Ligue 1 this season if it finishes second in Ligue 2. Even then the playoffs…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/toronto-fc-owners-in-talks-to-buy-saint-etienne/

Author : Kyle Fansler

Publish date : 2024-05-14 16:39:22

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