In an era where it is very hard to see athletes from different sports coming together for a purpose, Salford City FC has emerged as the most recent center of a movement combining legacy with future-facing vision. Once a minor force in English soccer, the League Two team today sits under a spotlight that reaches far beyond the pitch because of the quiet but powerful relationship of some of the world’s best-known people in business and sport. Interestingly, the football team will get the magic of Pau Gasol now!

Although headlines may emphasize soccer concerns, what really changes is what is behind the scenes. Salford has entered a strategic age due to the merging of powerful advisory groups and great athletes-turned-executives. A high-profile but discreet gesture from NBA icon Pau Gasol this week presented how far the network behind Salford’s new ownership extends and how the project reaches far beyond the aim of promotion to the Championship.

On May 8, Gasol, a two-time NBA champion and co-founder of Consello Strive, went to X (formerly Twitter) to praise his fellow Consello partners Gary Neville and Declan Kelly for leading the club’s new ownership. “Great to see my Consello partners, @GNev2 and Declan Kelly, come together to form the new ownership group at @SalfordCityFC,” he wrote. The post featured a photo from a Consello event showing the trio on stage, which was a symbolic moment bringing together football, finance, and worldwide influence. Though not a direct investment in the club, Gasol’s backing emphasizes his developing post-retirement identity: a multifaceted approach to equity and sports-driven social innovation.

Gasol’s increasing economic involvement via Consello Strive, a sports and entertainment advising company established in 2024, shows a more general turn by elite athletes using their platforms to influence commercial ecosystems. Gasol has supported community upliftment, athlete mental health, and gender empowerment with past duties in the International Olympic Committee and his own Gasol16 Ventures. His support of Salford’s new ownership shows how sports equity is a mandate reaching grassroots communities with Premier League dreams, not limited to headline clubs with retired legends’ ownership.

How Consello’s expansion strategy after Pau Gsol’s entry is shaping Salford City

Although Neville and Kelly are front-and-center in Salford’s strategic relaunch, the Consello engine driving the project is equally important. Founded by Irish entrepreneur Declan Kelly, Consello has rapidly created a strong presence in the worldwide advising sectors with partners including stars like Serena Williams and Tom Brady. Consello is putting up a European operation packed with guidance for leadership, branding, and sports innovation, is now moving into Ireland with a 30-member staff, and purchases include Lanyon Group and Blue Lake.

Neville is now also chairman of Consello in Ireland, in addition to being head of Consello in the UK. Neville said, “Consello embodies the pursuit of excellence.” He also said that his new position in Ireland fits with his long-term plan to build beyond football. With its strong community ties and fan-driven approach, Salford City is the ideal incubator for experimenting with that idea. Aimed directly at reaching the Championship in five years, the club has already experienced the advantages of long-term investment; the Class of ’92 support is developing into a more organized, capitalized ownership plan projected to bring in $15–20 million.

The presence of people like Gasol and Kelly implies that the group’s goals far exceed promotion. The idea is to rethink Salford as a modern community club with worldwide values, which is structurally strong. Though his post has interested the basketball and other sporting community, Gasol’s signal increase delivered the idea that this club had been built not just to win, but to last.