Rob Baxter outlines where Exeter takeover money will be spent

Rob Baxter has warned Exeter Chiefs fans not to expect overnight success once the club becomes part of Bill Foley’s Black Knight Sports empire later this summer.

Baxter believes it will take some time to see the results of American money invested in the club, as they try to play catch-up on projects that have been on hold since the COVID pandemic.

He says things like medical and training facilities, and the academy, will be the first areas of the club to get upgrades, while in the longer term, developing Sandy Park into a 20,000-capacity stadium is on the cards.

“What everyone has to remember, and what I said at the members’ forum, is that some people have said there is going to be investment, so there will be an immediate change, and this is what Newcastle Red Bulls will understand,” he said.

“When you get a significant investment that takes a little while to come through, because what normally happens is when you need a significant investment, what’s happened is you have under-invested for a few years.

“So getting that back online like a really well-funded and invested academy is does take a couple of years to bring those players through, and it will be the same with the recruitment process because I was asked by members about it.

“You really develop a strength in depth like Bath have got, and as we had in the past, knowing you are going to spend to the salary cap for the foreseeable future and a number of seasons.

“Not knowing where your budget is for next year into late in the season, you can’t do that. If you get to the end of a season and you have got a little bit left in your cap, you know you can front-load some contracts with forward planning.

“If we get significant investment, I would have thought that the future over the next three or four years looks fantastically bright for the club because I know where to invest to significantly improve things.”