Ryan Bertrand leads £87m consortium bid for League One AFC Wimbledon

Former Chelsea and England defender Ryan Bertrand is spearheading an £87 million minority investment bid for League One club AFC Wimbledon, partnering with British technology specialist Omar Mir and his firm Sloane Street Capital (SSC).

SSC is seeking to acquire a 34 per cent shareholding in AFCW PLC, the organisation that operates the club. Under the terms of the proposal, £16 million would be injected into Wimbledon upon completion of the deal, with a further £71 million committed across five seasons through to the end of the 2030/31 campaign.

Bertrand, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 and earned 19 caps for England, would take up a position as senior football advisor should the deal receive approval. While he would have input into sporting decisions, he would remain subject to the financial limits and operational procedures set by the AFCW PLC board.

Central to the proposal is the preservation of supporter control. The Dons Trust, which currently holds 50.01 per cent of the voting rights, would retain that majority stake and its authority to block any changes affecting the freehold of the Cherry Red Records Stadium. SSC would be allocated two seats on the club’s 12-member board, plus one non-voting observer role.

Bertrand was candid about what drew him to a club with one of English football’s most distinctive histories — AFC Wimbledon was founded in 2002 by supporters following the controversial relocation of the original Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes.

“AFC Wimbledon’s story is unique in English football and it was built by its supporters. We felt at home from our very first meetings,” Bertrand said. “We are not here to change what this club is. We are here to help it go further on and off the pitch, for the men’s team, the women’s team and the academy. It would be an honour to join the Wimbledon family and help write the next chapter.”

The consortium has indicated it plans to meet with members and answer questions in the coming weeks as the proposal moves through the approval process.