“Now we’re going to get the club”. In a farewell video in which he seems rather emotional, Martin Braitwhaite said goodbye to Espanyol. After a superb 22-goal season in the Spanish second division and a promotion to La Liga, the former TFC and FC Barcelona player is leaving the Catalan team. He will continue his career at Gremio, in Brazil.
His few words are not insignificant, however. This weekend, the Spanish press explained that the Danish striker is considering… buying Espanyol. A rumor that may seem outrageous, but it holds up since the player is extremely rich, even being one of the richest men on the planet according to the specialized magazine Forbes. And this, in large part thanks to successful investments in the real estate sector in the United States. Money would therefore not be a problem for Martin Braithwaite. As he confirmed, it is very serious.
The club had already been offered to Braithwaite
A desire motivated by a thirst for revenge, he who has not been respected, according to him at least, by the management of the club, which belongs to the Rastar Group, a Chinese company managed by Chen Chuanghuang. A management that is also very criticized by Espanyol supporters, and beyond a vendetta, it is also a way to put the club back on the right path for Braithwaite, he who loved his time with the Pericos. For months now, rumors about a sale of the club have been circulating, while Rastar had confirmed having received several offers. Curiously, last May, Sport revealed that Braithwaite had been approached by his board about the possibility of buying the club.
So all this is not new, and we imagine that this summer too, and despite the differences that there have been, the leaders would agree to sell the club to the Dane, who had been offered an extension offer that he had considered ridiculous. In December 2023, the Catalan press mentioned a sale price for the club set at 120 million euros. A sum that would rise to 170 million euros in the event of promotion to La Liga, which finally happened. Arriving in 2016, the Rastar group had promised to make Espanyol one of the strongholds of La Liga, but the club has been far from what was expected, playing mainly in the middle of the table or staying up, with two relegations to D2 and only one European participation, in the Europa League during the 2019/2020 season. Braithwaite, in addition to being a very serious potential buyer, is therefore also seen as a man who could finally offer the club what it deserves…
