Markus Liebherr takes the reins at Southampton Football Club after his takeover offer is accepted.

The administrator handling the finances of Southampton Football Club has confirmed he has found a buyer – Swiss national Markus Liebherr – who has bought it for an undisclosed sum.

Joint Administrator, Mark Fry, had been in talks with a number of interested parties – one of which was a consortium being led by ex-footballer Matt Le Tissier, which collapsed on 30 June – and said: “The sale of the Saints to Markus Liebherr is a fantastic opportunity to rebuild the Club.”

The Directors of the Football League were happy to sign off the deal once all the formalities had been agreed and Chairman Lord Mawhinney congratulated the club on securing its future and welcomed its new owner into the fold of English football.

Saints manager, Mark Wotte, has also given his reaction to the news and said: “Now that we have secured our future I am looking forward to steadily building towards a better future on the pitch as well.”

The Saints were relegated to League One at the end of last season, and will start the fight for promotion with a deduction of 10 points after falling into administration.

Following the announcement of the new buyer, the Saints also revealed the appointment of Andy Oldknow as the clubs new Chief Operating Officer. Previously a director at the Club, he resigned along with two other directors in October 2008 after a prospective takeover of the club fell apart. On his appointment, Mr Oldknow said: “The only reason I accepted the chance to work with Markus Liebherr’s team was because of their professionalism, their integrity and above all their clarity in terms of how they wish to move the club forward.”

Mr Liebherr is a respected Swiss businessman, with a personal fortune estimated to be around €3 billion (£2.6bn). He runs the Mali group consortium of companies specialising in transport technology.  

Excited about the new opportunity, he said that he understands that rebuilding the club cannot be done overnight: “We should not expect instant success, but our fans, employees and other stakeholders can expect 100 per cent commitment from me and my team.”