This is all just getting a bit weird now. Not only have we found ourselves actual, new owners who care about the club, but now someone else possibly wants to put money into Reading?
Following on from a previous owner who ended their tenure by actively avoiding putting money in, akin to not feeding a Gremlin after midnight, this could be quite the coup.
I’ve dusted off the deerstalker hat, polished the monocle and delved into the Google vaults to see what information can be found regarding this possible new group pulling up their chair to the Reading FC table. Here we go then!
Who are they?
They’re Miami-based investment firm Aliya Capital Partners as reported by Bloomberg. Essentially, their business makes money by investing into ventures, helping to make them more profitable and then selling their shares to the highest bidder.
Aliya are led by Ross Kestin, who was a founding partner alongside Emmanuel Hermann. Kestin himself is based in Miami, so isn’t exactly local either to Reading or Rob Couhig.
Aliya reportedly have £760 million in assets, so have the financial power to support the club. They also have a history of large financial backing to big companies and industries – very much household names you’ll recognise. For example, they were part of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, providing financial backing to that initiative. They were also involved with financial backing and investments for Uber, AirBnb and OpenAI.
In short: they’ve got the money, so are financially sound, and they’re used to making big business moves, so working with a football club should be small fish compared to their historic portfolio, though nonetheless important.
Why are they interested?
Because we’re the greatest football club in all the land, obvs. However, they seem to have a keen interest to be involved in football, following the recent trend we have seen of more American owners becoming involved in football in the UK.
Kestin told Bloomberg:
“Because with its 150-year legacy and fiercely loyal fans, Reading is a sleeping giant. We want to do what it takes to fuel its untapped potential to rise through the EFL and, one day, rise to Premier League glory.”
Premier League “glory” is not an exact criterion to define, so removing the very unlikely possibility of winning the thing, getting to the top flight would make the club more cash rich and more valuable in the financial markets.
Getting to this level would be seen as a win for both us as a fan base and for Aliya, because if they cash in on us when reaching this level, they would make a significant profit.
What would this involvement mean for the club?
It would mean we have more money going into the club coffers, for starters. While Couhig, Todd Trosclair and their Redwood Holdings business are worth a pretty penny, the cost of running a football club is significant.
In turn, Kestin would probably get a place on the board of directors. To this end, it’s not really an issue if Kestin is based in Miami, because he won’t necessarily have as hands-on a role as Joe Jacobson, Couhig and Trosclair.
Do they have any previous football-related experience?
Incredibly limited, but some. When Everton were going through a takeover process in 2024, Aliya were the financial backers for one of the unsuccessful candidates in the process, John Textor. Textor himself, though not in any collaboration with Aliya, had previous experience with Crystal Palace, Botafogo of Brazil and Lyon of France.
Aliya described their interest in involvement with Everton as such:
“Our involvement in Everton reflects our shared commitment to innovation and transformation in football. We eagerly anticipate Everton’s ascent under John’s visionary leadership.”
Transformation is a key word here, as we are very much a club looking to evolve and undergo something of an overhaul from the dark days of the previous ownership.
It would be their first venture into the world of football. However, it’s pragmatic. This is because they wouldn’t necessarily be the main decision-makers – that job would likely remain with Couhig, Troslair and Jacobson, who between them have successful experiences within the realm of football.
What it would allow for is the ability to make the vision of these three more possible through prudent, sound financial backing.
Initial thoughts: is this a good thing?
Football is an unpredictable beast, and while not knowing how this collaboration with Aliya would go – or indeed how being owned by Couhig will go – this news should be music to our ears, particularly given our cash-starved history.
However, I think what most Royals fans will be urging is caution. We’ve seen the days of reckless spending and poor ideas ruin this club, and none of us are going to be convinced that money solves everything. Just because we have money doesn’t mean we need to use it all.
I would urge our new financial backers to work diligently. Fortunately, as a capital investment company, that’s likely to be their view also. They don’t want to spend massive money to make small returns. They will want to maximise their returns through smart investment, and guided by the prudent financial savvy of Couhig, this could be a great combination.
It’s worth commending Couhig and Trosclair for working quickly to find such investment with a good track record as well. It bodes well for the club, ahead of an exciting and possibly transformative summer.
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