Game-changing Kazakh billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze buys League One club to rival Wrexham and Birmingham

League One club Wycombe Wanderers has been taken over by Kazakh billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze.

The club has been owned by American businessman Rob Couhig since 2020, but 90% has now been sold to Lomtadze’s Blue Ocean Partners Ltd.

2

Forbes puts his new worth at $5.7 billion, making him the 532nd richest person in the world.

He is the CEO and founder of Kazakhstan-based Kaspi.kz, the leading technology company in Central Asia.

A PwC article describes Lomtadze as a ‘game changer’ and Wycombe fans will certainly be hoping he can bring that to the club.

“Our goal is to achieve long-term success, on and off the field, while building a financially viable club,” Lomtadze said.

“The world of football is changing very quickly and our priority will be to integrate data analysis and technology to take the club’s performance to new levels.

“I also strongly believe in youth development and this will be fundamental to the club’s vision. We aim to reopen and build a leading high performance academy which will become a vital part of our long-term strategy of developing a club that consistently performs at the highest level.

Wycombe finished 10th in League One last season and will face a tough task to get out of the division.

Lomtadze’s billions will come up against the riches of Wrexham, backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and just promoted to League One, and newly relegated Birmingham.

2

Then there are also several former Premier League clubs, such as Charlton, Reading and Wigan, all trying to escape the third tier.

Couhig said: “I’m excited about the future of Wycombe Wanderers. Last year, I announced that I had begun to consider a possible succession plan for our property. Since then, I have met a significant number of very qualified people. Last fall, Mikheil and I met and decided to explore his potential role within the club. It was apparent from that first meeting that Mikheil and I shared similar values ​​of speaking directly and honestly to each other.

“I understood 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 of these discussions culminated today with the transfer of Feliciana EFL Limited to his company.

“The Wycombe Wanderers Football Club board will have three new directors, Mikheil, Eduard Vyshnyakov and Daniel Rice. The Board of Directors has asked me to pass on their appreciation and that of the Wanderers family for the excellent work Missy Couhig and Pete Couhig have done for the club and community since June 2019.

“As for me, Mikheil requested and I agreed to continue as President during the ownership transition. Please join me in welcoming Mikheil, Eduard and Dan to the club.”