"Horror stories" - Bristol City sent Sheffield Wednesday warning amid Turki Alalshikh takeover talk | OneFootball

FLW's Bristol City fan pundit has given his reaction to reports linking Saudi billionaire Turki Alalshikh with a takeover bid for the club.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been a strong start to the season for Bristol City in the Championship, but there could soon be big changes coming for the club amid talk that Saudi billionaire Turki Alalshikh is considering a possible takeover bid.

After reaching the play-offs last season, Bristol City lost head coach Liam Manning to Norwich City back in June, but new boss Gerhard Struber has made an excellent start to his tenure, and his side currently sit third in the table after winning three and drawing two of their first five league games.

Despite the recent managerial upheaval, there seems to be plenty of stability at Ashton Gate currently, but that could all be set to change, with journalist Alan Nixon claiming on Sunday that Alalshikh is now close to making a formal bid for the Robins, while he is also looking at buying a property in the area.

Alalshikh was previously urged by former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan to make a move for troubled Sheffield Wednesday, but he was reluctant to buy a football club based in the north of England, while it was reported in May that he was in talks to invest in Millwall.

However, there have been no further updates on his interest in the Lions since then, and it appears he has now turned his attention to Bristol City, who have been owned by Steve Lansdown since 2002, although his involvement with the club began all the way back in 1996.

Alalshikh, who has an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion (£2.06 billlion), is the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, and he is best known for his work as a boxing promoter, while he was also the owner of Spanish second division side Almeria until he sold the club earlier this year.

Cautious Bristol City reaction given to Turki Alalshikh takeover talk

When asked for his reaction to reports linking Alalshikh with a move for the club, FLW's Bristol City fan pundit Tom Rawle claimed that it is the right time for Lansdown to bring fresh investment to Ashton Gate, but he admitted he would have concerns about a full takeover.

"It's a difficult one," Tom told FLW.

"After going to Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend and hearing the horror stories of what their owner has put their club and fans through, it would be a bit of an unknown with Turki Alalshikh taking over here.

"Nobody knows what he's capable of with a football club.

"Is he willing to invest in the team and get us to where we want to be?

"I certainly think now is the time for Lansdown to sell, but I want him to sell to someone who has the best interests of Bristol City, the fans and the city of Bristol heart, as well as someone who can invest in the culture.

"That's why I probably think we would be better off with an investor and someone who is willing to invest money into the club.

"They would probably not own a majority of the club, but they could have a 49% share of the club until we feel comfortable for them to become the majority shareholder, which would allow Steve Lansdown to gracefully bow out.

"It's a tough one.

"My heart says yes, but my head says no.

"It's just murky waters isn't it really, we don't know what we're going to get ourselves into.

"We might have decent owners like Newcastle, but on the other foot, it might go wrong, and we could find ourselves in a position like Sheffield Wednesday are.

"I don't know, to be honest."

Bristol City supporters must be careful what they wish for amid Sheffield Wednesday turmoil

Bristol City made the trip to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday, and they scored three goals inside the first 32 minutes to secure a comfortable victory over the Owls, who are currently operating with a threadbare squad as their financial turmoil under owner Dejphon Chansiri continues.

Of course, just because Chansiri has proven to be a bad owner, it does not necessarily mean that all new owners will be the same, but Wednesday's situation does act as a cautionary tale about how someone who appears to have vast amounts of money is not always the most suitable candidate to own a football club.

Given Alalshikh's eye-watering personal wealth, some Robins supporters will understandably be excited about the prospect of him taking over, but they should be incredibly cautious before calling for Lansdown to sell after the stability he has provided over the last 23 years.