The takeover of the club has not yet been approved by the EFL, so chairman Matt Southall is wary of any comparisons with Abu Dhabi's acquisition of Manchester City: Five year master plan
However, he said that, like City, the Charlton board would not concentrate solely on the development of the football team, with a number of projects, including a brand new training complex spanning almost 40 acres, in the pipeline.
'Obviously we’re a totally separate entity to the guys at Manchester City. When I sat down with Tahnoon and his advisers I outlined my vision and my way and how I feel we could move the club forward. And that isn’t the same as when Sheikh Mansour looked at Man City; they were in the Premier League then. There’s so much more money in the Premier League than there is the Championship.'
'So that would’ve been a different vision to what I’ve got Tahnoon to buy into. It’s not really comparable. But the fact they’ve taken the local community, they’ve expanded it, the campus, they’ve invested into all the regeneration around the ground. They do a lot of work in the community, so there are similarities. But in terms of structure it’s completely different.'
Charlton hope to bring the squad to Abu Dhabi for a training camp towards the end of the Championship season, possibly the beginning of May, with the team expected to become regular visitors to the capital. Southall said the club were seeking to establish commercial partnerships in the Middle East, using Nimer's knowledge of, and close relationships in, the region.
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