Sulaiman Al-fahim Makes Effort to Keep Lower Profile

Sulaiman al-Fahim, the prospective new owner of Portsmouth, has made a conscious effort to adopt a lower profile after making a series of PR gaffes and experiencing close media scrutiny.

Last summer, the 32-year-old brokered the buyout of Manchester City from Thaksin Shinawatra for Sheik Mansour, a billionaire member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. But Fahim was quickly sidelined after stating that he would make a £134m bid for Cristiano Ronaldo and claiming that City "are going to be the biggest club in the world – bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United".

Fahim has also had to deal with disgruntled customers of Hydra Properties, an Abu Dhabi real estate company, who have grievances over the Hydra village development and are considering legal action. Fahim subsequently vacated his position as Hydra CEO.

The businessman has been forced to deny he calls himself a doctor – though the Hydra website is still describing him as such – and has attracted attention after being photographed with Pamela Anderson and Leonardo Di Caprio. The focus has not played out well in the Emirates, where there is a different cultural attitude to public life.

Fahim's takeover of Portsmouth is still undergoing due diligence, with the businessman yet to complete the fit-and-proper person test. If the deal does go through – some time this month is the proposed date for completion – Fahim will ensure his media message is more sober than before. What his thoughts are on the exodus from Fratton Park – captain Sol Campbell signaled last week he might be the latest to leave – is unclear. It is thought that because he views the club as a long-term investment Fahim is not overly concerned.

Although Manchester City are favorites to buy Carlos Tevez after the striker's contract with United ended on 30 June, and are understood to be negotiating to move the deal forward, Kia Joorabchian, the player's representative, is considering the full range of options for the Argentina forward, which could involve a move to Chelsea.

Tevez's next move will free him of third-party ownership, a status that forced his former club West Ham to pay Sheffield United around £25m compensation after the Blades successfully claimed he should not have played at the end of the 2006-07 season, when they were relegated.