Samrit Bunditkitsada has signed Anton Ferdinand for his Thai Premier League side Police United as his takeover of English club Reading is near complete.
Samrit Bunditkitsada, left, and Anton Ferdinand arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday.
Police United CEO Samrit and former West Ham player Ferdinand arrived in Bangkok yesterday after Samrit agreed to buy Football League Championship side Reading.
Ferdinand said he decided to come to Thailand because Samrit was an enthusiastic person although he admitted he knew very little about Thai football.
"I don’t know much about Thai football," said the English defender.
"But I have talked to Jay Bothroyd [former England striker who is currently playing for SCG Muang Thong United]. He told me that Thai football had changed a lot over the years with a lot of professional players.
"The weather here will not be a problem for me. My parents were born in a hot country [Saint Lucia] and I will be able to adapt to the weather here."
Buriram United’s former Arsenal forward Jay Simpson is another highly-paid English player in the TPL, while former England striker Robbie Fowler played for Muang Thong a few years ago.
Meanwhile, Samrit said the takeover of Reading was not yet complete, pending the English Football League’s owners and directors test.
"When the deal is complete, it will be good for Thai football in general and Police United in particular," he said.
It is reported that Samrit, owner of Promise Insurance and Billion Investment companies in Thailand, paid £35 million to buy 90 percent of Reading.
According to Get Reading newspaper, the deal was brokered by Pairoj Piempongsan, the man who set up Sheik Mansour’s purchase of Manchester City from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thanksin is the first Thai to have owned an English football club when he bought Manchester City in 2007 and sold it to Sheik Mansour the following year.
Currently, King Power Group boss Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is owner of Leicester City who will play in the English Premier League next season.