Why do Chinese only buy Midlands football clubs?

I've been taking an interest in football recently. Not because I'm a fan. I'm not. but because the Chinese are!

Four West Midlands clubs are now under Chinese ownership; Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and now the receivers have finally completed the sale of Birmingham City to Trillion Trophy Asia, a Chinese consortium.

The huge interest in English football from China shows no sign of slowing down. Every potential acquisition mentions Chinese buyers despite the challenges in moving capital out of mainland China but so far, the part of England that the Chinese buyers seem to have focussed on is the Midlands.

What is so appealing about the Midlands clubs? Well, clearly it’s not success on the field. Only West Brom is in the English Premier League and it was the 1960s when they last won any silverware. Around that time, China was still suffering from famine and millions of people were dying of starvation. How things change.

Looking around English football I believe that this is just the beginning. Overseas investors, specifically the Chinese, will target the bigger, more expensive clubs which might be considered not only as trophy assets but also valuable ones.

To put that into context, in the last few years Chinese groups have bought some of the most famous hotels in the world including the Waldorf Astoria but the Waldorf was not their first move into the sector. The same goes for automotive with Volvo Cars being the most famous brand asset.

That’s the Chinese way. Move slowly and thoughtfully but then decisively.

My expectation would be that within 5 years a number of the largest and most famous teams in the English Premier League will also have Chinese owners wearing their scarves in photo shoots. I am not sure which clubs they might be but the chances are the footprint will be broader than just the West Midlands.

Yorkshire perhaps?