This article in the Gazette from January may help to explain the sums mentioned in relation to Steve Gibson - £149m of loans converted to equity plus he still pumped in £13.5m, which is now owed to him (as mentioned in reports).
I suspect there would've been a similar amount owed to Gibson for 24/25 unless transfer sales have covered the usual £1m per month losses - perhaps the upfront payment for Latte Lath, Coburn's last minute deal before end of June and the Djed Spence add-ons have taken care of that.
The sale of Hackney with reportedly £15m up front would cover this season and subsequent sales will allow re-investment in players - though the wage bill shortfall still has to be managed too.
All of which seems to indicate Boro as a club could be preparing for a sale - or possibly since the amount of equity Steve Gibson now holds in MFC is greater than its market value, there is little to gain from converting further loans into equity. OK, should Boro be promoted to the PL then the value of the club would increase dramatically - though achieving that whilst cutting costs seems an unlikely scenario.
Still, Boro have to strike a balance between reinvestment in players and covering losses - they can't afford to risk flirting with League One as then the club value would depreciate and income would drop sharply too. Being competitive is a must in the Championship and trying to improve is the only way to avoid further decline.
@werdermouth Thanks for all of that werder. Looking at the accounts, all 60+ pages. Well one has to be an Accountant of a high standing I assume, to totally understand everything and the decisions being made.
As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever, and it is very difficult to see any single person or enterprise ploughing in the kind of money SG has over the last decades.
So when he does decide to call it a day, then hopefully he will look at MFC’s best future interests as to the prospective buyer(s).
Maybe this is the start of that crossroads and the change in direction.
The crazy thing is if you drop to Div 1 , the PSR rules are not enforced ,you could spend £100m if you wanted to, Birmingham spent £30m last year.
So a prospective very wealthy new owner ,someone or group ,could see it as a better opportunity in the long run ,if we went down .
I think Steve should sell lets say 20% ,of his shares , develop a relationship with the investors , making sure they are long term ,
Great point! That's something I've never really looked into but yes you're right - League One and Two owners were able to inject unrestricted amounts of equity into their clubs and spend 100% of it on players - though that is to be restricted to 60% of equity injections on players from this season but 60% of £100m is still plenty!
It does allow League One owners to prime their clubs with expensive and better players before they reach the Championship - though their wage bill will need to pass the profit and sustainability rules once they're in the Championship with the limits on cash injections by owners.
Nevertheless, yet another anomaly in the whole system that has created a loophole for rich owners to take advantage of - maybe a League One club is a more attractive proposition for those owners with very deep pockets looking to make the big time...
Didn't cleveland cable brothers offer to invest in the past and SG turned them down
Perhaps MFC are listening to fans 🤔
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/july/31/club-publishes-fan-engagement-plan/ 😎
Owned by the Middlesbrough-born Powell brothers who are ranked as the richest in the north east with a personal fortune of £700m - compared to Steve Gibson's £640m. Could be local rivalry 😉
I see there's a plan to elect supporters onto a Fan Advisory Board (FAB) who will be consulted on 'key' topics - time for a few on Diasboro to hit the campaign trail perhaps...
Sponsorship is were the real money is, remember Celnet , it really boosts your standing with FFP,
I'm not sure if Steve Gibson embraces relationships with global enterprises ,I might be wrong, but I'm sure there are opportunities, maybe it might mean bringing someone in with , viable International contacts, someone who can negotiate deals and as a history with these people,maybe I'm singing in the wind , but persuetion is very powerful
Sky Sports News report that Boro have agreed a deal worth up to £3.5m with Blackburn for right back/wingback Callum Britain, deal expected to be completed by the end of the weekend.
Come on BORO.
That's an important arrival given Ayling is the only fit right-back at the moment - hope he adds an extra dimension! a centre-forward would be nice before the season starts...
@werdermouth That Mr Gibson figure surprised me a little, especially given the recents profits from the Bulkhaul Group. I seems only a few years ago that his wealth was only around the 250 mark? Or it may be my age. 🤣
Alistar Powell however, the driver behind Cleveland Cable, has for many years been 600+.
Then of course is his ownership of lots of Teesside.
The match tomorrow is not being streamed by MFC but may be available via the website of Deportivo.
If you search rcdeportivo.es it brings up the club website.
From the menu drop-down on the top left select NOTICIAS and then click the arrow on the right side which will allow you to select #DeporMedia.
Then click the arrow on the right to bring up Videos. Click on videos from which you will see the link to the YouTube stream.
It appears that the stream will commence 10 mins before kick off.
I have not been asked to sign up to anything or pay anything when searching the website but I am not sure if that will change when I try to access before kick off. 😎
Middlesbrough bid for USMNT, Columbus Crew wingback Max Arfsten:
Yes, it surprised me too as his personal wealth in the Sunday Times Rich List reported by the Gazette in 2020 was £270m, which had risen in their Rich List in 2024 to £640m - which was also reported in the Gazette after he'd re-entered the list as the 350th wealthiest person in the UK.
Though he was listed as being a director of 10 companies altogether - including some that were involved with property. Sounds like his business investments have been quite successful in the last 5 years!
He's a 24-year old left wing-back and sounds like he's just had a good season - Boro have apparently bid $3m - which seems to be the magic price in any currency this window as Kante was €3m and Alfie Jones was also quoted around £3m as is Callum Brittain.
@werdermouth and OFB, further information on Arfsten:
Come on BORO.
Just to add to Steve Gibson's apparent increase in wealth from £270m to £640m in just 4 years (2020-2024) - since he didn't appear on the Times Rich List in 2023, which lists people with wealth over £350m, then his wealth must have increased by around £300m in just one year.
Both the Gazette and The Northern Echo reported on his inclusion in the list at £640m but neither reported on how this came about other than mentioning that Bulkhaul had had a good year. Though I find it impossible that Bulkhaul could've produced so much wealth in one year - perhaps the Sunday Times have done their calculations differently but there's no source of this figure being disputed.
Perhaps it's another case of everyone just reporting the same figure from the same source without checking on its accuracy.
@werdermouth Lazy journalism, along with fake news on Social Media.
Who knows what to believe. Although I have my issues with the BBC website, their BBC Verify section seems quite professional.
Well it’s a funny old time of the season waiting for things to happen.
Will Hackney go to Ipswich?
Will VDB go anywhere ?
Will Boro make signings in time to actually play next Saturday ?
I’ve started to prepare the match preview for Boro v Swansea but will hold off until later in the week to post as there are so many imponderables that whatever I wrote could have changed in a couple of hours!
Not going to the friendly today but I do have my season card for next week which is more important!
Watched Howson give an interview on his time at Boro and felt sad that we couldn’t find a slot for him !
OFB
Interestingly, I just read that there are another couple of people with a reported personal fortune of £640m listed in the latest Sunday Times Rich List of 2025 - you may have heard of them but I don't think either owns a football club as yet - though I believe the son of one is an Aston Villa supporter and the other has a famously a rich wife - both have or had prominent positions in the UK...
Two people allegedly as rich as Steve Gibson
Boro team news is in! Hackney on the bench
Starting XI: Brynn, Jones, Fry, Borges, Ayling, Morris, McCabe, Silvera, Whittaker, Burgzorg, Conway
Subs: Glover, McCormick, Woolston, Hackney, Kante, Barlaser, Hamilton, Gilbert, Forss, Finch
One change from Rangers starting XI. Jones in for Lenihan, who misses out altogether. Hackney and Kante on the bench 😎
HH has turned down a move to the Tractor Boys:
Hayden Hackney has rejected the opportunity to sign for Ipswich Town. (Scott Wilson - The Northern Echo)
HH being linked with Man U
OFB
Boro a goal up through Conway in the fourth minute - CJ:
Good start from Boro and their press works. Ayling wins it back deep in the Deportivo half, plays a one-two with Whittaker to get in behind. He then squares across goal for Conway to tap home.
I'll miss today's friendly as I'm busy packing and sorting out stuff before we go away tomorrow for a week in the east of Germany - I'll also miss the Swansea opening game as don't get home until Sunday.
The squad for today looks pretty thin and with McGree and Azaz still injured - plus Hackney still looking likely for an exit then not enough quality available.