What Tom Rawcliffe has said about a Bristol City takeover | OneFootball

The new Bristol City CEO has had his say on whether the Robins will be taken over any time soon

Bristol City CEO Tom Rawcliffe has suggested that, whilst the club is up for sale, concrete talks of a takeover are still a way away.

The Robins have been under the ownership of Steve Lansdown since 2002, and his involvement in the Bristol City hierarchy dates back even further to 1996.

Bristol City have spent the vast majority of that time playing in the Championship, barring a few seasons in League One, and came the closest they've been to playing in the Premier League in nearly 20 years last season, finishing in the top six of the second tier for the first time since the 2007/08 campaign.

After such a successful season, questions have been asked about the future of the ownership, especially since Steve Lansdown has said he'd be open to new investors or even selling the club completely in the past.

But Rawcliffe, who became the Robins' first CEO since the departure of Phil Alexander in September 2023, this past July, has confirmed that the current ownership group isn't "expecting anything anytime soon."

Tom Rawcliffe reveals Bristol City takeover stance

In an interview with Bristol Live, Rawcliffe, who was previously the head of finance and COO at Bristol City before his role change this past summer, spoke about his new job role, his relationship with new boss Gerhard Struber, and the all-important takeover updates.

"Conversations have been held, but that's quite common in the footballing world," Rawcliffe said.

"You've got to kiss a thousand frogs to find a prince, so while the club is still up for sale, we're not expecting anything anytime soon.

"The conversations at this level will predominantly be with Steve and the Lansdown family; they're the ones selling the business. If there are any inquiries there, they will be flowed up to the ownership level, and they'll be the ones making the decision."

The Bristol City CEO stressed the importance of finding the right person to take the club forward, as and when Steve Lansdown decides to move on from his position as chairman.

He added, "The owners are not going to sell it to somebody who is going to rip everything up.

"They've got a good legacy here, fantastic infrastructure, we all want to succeed on the pitch, but it gives me some comfort, and us all some comfort that it's not going to get sold to the first person who comes by.

"It has to be the right fit for Bristol City."

Bristol City fans will be encouraged by Tom Rawcliffe's message

Last season laid a foundation for Bristol City to build on, on the pitch, and so far this campaign, despite personnel changes in the dugout, the Robins have started positively, going unbeaten in their opening four Championship outings.

A positive outlook on the pitch will obviously attract potential suitors in terms of purchasing the club, as it's clear the Robins have viable ambitions of making that step up into the Premier League in the future.

However, Lansdown and co are ensuring that whoever that party is will be taking over the club for the right reasons, and will bring the club to the next level in a sustainable, legal manner.

The Robins' future looks bright on the field, but the main focus will be on making sure that it remains that way by hiring sensible people behind the scenes. And for the most part, it looks like Bristol City are doing just that.