KSI to join ex-Premier League star in Dagenham & Redbridge ownership group

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KSI has become the latest high-profile name in the football club ownership sphere after agreeing a deal in principle to acquire a stake in Dagenham & Redbridge.

The renowned YouTuber turned Britain's Got Talent judge, 32, took to social media on Tuesday afternoon to announce that he was buying Dagenham & Redbridge with the goal of taking the sixth tier outfit all the way to the Premier League .

“I’m so excited to start this journey,” he wrote on X. “It’s gonna be a rollercoaster for sure but I hope to bring Dagenham and Redbridge … back to the glory days. For those of you that are OG fans (Race to Division One), you’ll know that this is a full circle moment for me. So join me on this exhilarating adventure and I’ll see you all at Victoria road this Saturday! I’ll be streaming too haha”.

The Athletic report that KSI's deal for the National League South club is for a minority 20 per cent stake. The club, in a statement on their own website, say KSI has joined them as a "shareholder and strategic partner".

The Daggers were recently taken over by the Happy Fan Group, a United States-based investment group, with Anwar Uddin, a former player, taking over as chairman.

Intriguingly, KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji, is not the only famous face to become involved with Dagenham & Redbridge over the past 12 months.

The former Liverpool , Newcastle and England striker, Andy Carroll, announced he would be joining Dagenham & Redbridge as a player and an investor back in July. Carroll, who made over 200 Premier League appearances during the prime of his career, was announced as a shareholder in the club last week after representing them on the pitch this season.

The same report notes that Tony Fernandes, the AirAsia chief executive who owned a stake in Queens Park Rangers for over a decade until 2023, has also held takes about purchasing a minority stake in Dagenham & Redbridge, who will look to rise again under new ownership.

While KSI shared aspirations of taking the Daggers to the Premier League, the east London have fallen on hard times since reaching their highest ever position in the English football pyramid back in 2010 when they won promotion to League One.

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After being relegated back to the fourth tier of English football the following season, Dagenham & Redbridge slipped into non-league back in 2016. They then succumbed to relegation to the National League South last year following a turbulent campaign.

They are currently 13th in the league standings and take on Dorking Wanderers, the current league leaders, on Saturday in a game which KSI has already said he will attend.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have captured the attention of people all around the globe with the success they have brought to Wrexham, who were one division above where Dagenham & Redbridge are now when they were taken over by the famous actors.

Numerous other high-profile people, including Tom Brady (Birmingham), Snoop Dogg ( Swansea City ) and Michael B. Jordan ( Bournemouth ) have followed their lead to become involved with football club's in the English football pyramid in recent years.

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