A major development came out of Wycombe Wanderers yesterday as it was announced that the 90% ownership of the club belonging to Rob Couhig’s Feliciana EFL LTD has been transferred to Blue Ocean Partners II Limited, owned by Georgain billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze.
This change of ownership will see Missy and Pete Couhig depart the club following a successful five years at the helm which saw the Blues reach the Championship for the first time in the club’s history. Current chairman Rob Couhig will remain in post during the transition of ownership as was requested by Lomtadze.
Two new directors will also be joining the club along with Lomtadze, Eduard Vyshnyakov and Dan Rice will be taking up roles within the board of directors. Vyshnyakov is experienced in project management, working with companies in the green energy sector, which will see him take up a role helping the club with finances and planning.
Rice has most recently left his senior management position at Everton as he joins the Blues as Chief Football Officer, where he will oversee all footballing activities such as recruitment, first team, academy, coaching, sport science and analysis. Rice is also heavily experienced having been in senior management positions with Everton, Arsenal, Fulham, Southampton and the England national team.
Speaking to the club website, current chairman Rob Couhig said the following regarding the takeover:
“I am excited for the future of Wycombe Wanderers. Last year, I announced that I had begun looking at a possible succession plan for our ownership. Since then, I met with a significant number of well qualified people. Last fall, Mikheil and I met and decided to explore his potential role with the club. It was apparent from that first meeting that Mikheil and I shared similar values of speaking directly and honestly with each other.
“I came to understand 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 to those discussions was culminated today with the transfer of Feliciana EFL Limited to his company.
“The Board of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club will have three new directors, Mikheil, Eduard Vyshnyakov, and Daniel Rice. The Board has asked me to convey its and the Wanderers family’s appreciation for the great work that Missy Couhig and Pete Couhig have done for the Club and community since June 2019″.
New owner Mikheil Lomtadze also told the club website:
“I am very grateful to Rob and deeply honoured by the opportunity to take the club forward and to be part of Wycombe Wanderers’ successful future. You rarely meet people when an immediate friendship is developed from the very first conversation. Meeting Rob in the fall of last year was one of such moments in my life.
“I would like to thank Rob for his friendship and trust, and we are very happy that he has agreed to stay as the Chairman of the Board of Directors to continue playing an important role in the Club and help with the smooth transition. I want to also recognise Missy and Pete Couhig’s contributions and thank them for all their dedication to the club alongside with Rob.
“To the Wycombe fans, I do not and will not take lightly the responsibility for the Club in front of its fans, staff and players. Our goal is to achieve long-term success both on and off the pitch whilst building a financially sustainable club. The football world is evolving very fast and our priority will be to integrate data analytics and technology to elevate the Club’s performance to new levels. I am also a strong believer in youth development and it will be fundamental to the Club’s vision.
“We aim to re-open and build a leading high-performance academy which will become an essential part of our long-term strategy of developing a club that consistently performs at the top level. We are looking forward to working with the Wycombe Wanderers Supporters’ Trust as we together take the club into its next chapter. I’m excited to get started and I look forward to seeing everyone down at Adams Park for the start of the 2024/25 season.”
Interesting times ahead for Wycombe as the Georgian with a current net worth of 5.7 Billion US dollars has outlined his plans to bring back the academy and continue on with Couhig’s ambition of becoming a sustainable Championship club.
We would also like to pass on our thanks to Rob, Pete and Missy Couhig for a wonderful 5 years at the club. 3 trips to Wembley, promotion to the Championship and some special memories along the way. Wycombe wouldn’t be the same without the hard work and dedication of the Couhig family and we wish you all the best for the future.
Chairman Rob Couhig celebrates with Anthony Stewart and Adebayo Akinfenwa after reaching the 2022 League One Play-Off Final.
