Former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis claims Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung tried to buy him out

Jan 1 2012 By Jonny Greatrex

FORMER Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis claims embattled Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung once tried to buy him out in a multi-million pound takeover.

But the soccer legend turned down the Hong Kong businessman, fearing the deal would land his beloved club with mountains of debt.

Instead, Yeung went on to later buy Blues who won the League Cup under his leadership – but were then relegated from the Premiership.

The Far East businessman is now currently on bail after being accused of laundering £59 million by authorities in Hong Kong. He denies the allegations and will face trial later this year.

Ellis, 87, revealed details of the extraordinary Yeung bid just hours after it was revealed he had been knighted in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours for his charity work.

He claimed Yeung’s right-hand man Sammy Yu had once spent a day at Villa Park in their quest to buy a Premier League team.

But Ellis rejected the approach because he did not want to see the former European Champions left in debt.

“I just wasn’t going to hand the club over to anyone borrowing money,” Ellis told the Sunday Mercury.

“Mr Yu spent a day with us at Aston Villa but they were borrowing money, so I said no.

“Yet Mr Yu was the Aston Villa shop’s best customer. He had bags and bags of shirts and socks to take back to his boss.”

Thwarted Yeung eventually went on to but Villa’s city rivals Blues in October 2009.

But despite winning the League Cup last season with a shock win over Arsenal, the club were relegated and are currently struggling in the Championship.

Ellis also revealed other foreign businessman, including derided former Liverpool co-owner George Gillett, were also looking over Villa before he eventually sold to Randy Lerner in 2006.

“George Gillett is a nice guy, he bought Liverpool, but he was also borrowing money,’’ he said.

“When Randy came to see me three times from New York, he persuaded me he had cash.

“He had been a student at Cambridge University and had followed Aston Villa.

“I trusted him after talking to him. I realised he was a good man.”

Ellis’s last act as chairman was to appoint Martin O’Neill as manager, with a pledge from Lerner that he would receive £20 million to invest in new players.

So he was sad to see the Northern Irishman – appointed boss at Premier League outfit Sunderland last month – leave Villa in 2010, despite reaching a League Cup final.