For Rangers supporters, the name Robert Sarver may ring a bell. The multi-millionaire owner of NBA side Phoenix Suns made two attempts to add the Ibrox club to his sporting empire in early 2015. Rejected on the first occasion, he eventually withdrew his second bid, complaining of a lack of negotiation from the Rangers board.

That was that, as far as Scottish football was concerned, but Sarver didn’t give up on his European quest. Last summer he pushed to take over La Liga side Levante, but again saw his purchase voted down. Local media reported that the bid was heavily damaged by a fanciful proposal to buy Valencia’s unfinished 80,000-seater Nou Mestalla stadium and make it the home of the city’s smaller club. It wasn’t exactly a glowing appraisal of his understanding of the team he was attempting to buy: Levante only have 16,000 season ticket holders.

To the American’s credit, he remained steadfast, and just over a year after his withdrawal from the Rangers process, he has finally achieved his goal. RCD Mallorca’s island home couldn’t be more different to Glasgow, but there are some parallels between the situation of Sarver’s new purchase and that of Mark Warburton’s side.

Once able to boast of world class talent like Samuel Eto’o, there was a time when Mallorca played in the Champions League and won trophies, their 2003 Copa del Rey win involving the elimination of a Galacticos-era Real Madrid. These days however, they languish in the second division, and have failed to make the quick return to the top flight that was hoped for.

In swooped Sarver, forking out €20.6m to purchase the majority of Mallorca’s shares, as well as taking on their €30m debt. In his first press conference, the delighted new owner made an effort to say the right things, talking of a “first division club playing in the second division”, and adding that he had “invested with the idea of returning to the top flight as soon as possible”.

It sounded good, but is it too good to be true? Mallorca-based Radio Marca journalist Roberto Mateo says that the club has been stung in similar situations before, so there is a healthy dose of scepticism in the air.

“We haven’t forgotten that many false Messiahs have passed through our island, so there’s caution”, he explains. “We’ve seen a lot of people come to the club promising glory years to the fans before”.

Even when compared to what Scottish football has witnessed in recent years, the type of character Mallorca attract is almost hard to believe. “There was a plumber who wanted to buy the club and put the crest on his pipes, then disappeared on the day he was due to sign,” says Mallorca fan and journalist Angel Aguilo Palou.

“Then there was another guy who used the club’s own funds to buy out the majority of shares,” he elaborates. “What has happened before means you don’t quite trust anyone, but Sarver at least has a public image. That makes you optimistic… with moderation.”

Part of that moderation is urged by Sarver’s previous attempts to get into football. “For me, that’s one of those things that adds a bit of suspicion. Why has it been so difficult for a guy with so much money to find a club?” asks Angel. Desperate times call for desperate measures, however. After years of suffering, supporters are desperate for any kind of good news. “They just want to go back up to La Liga, so if that comes via Sarver, onwards and upwards,” Roberto admits.

Pulling that feat off will require hard work. Since going down from La Liga in 2013, Mallorca have twice been involved in relegation battles, only narrowly avoiding a further descent. This year is heading the same way. Sarver’s money won’t be a solution in itself, he will also need to restructure a club that has been chaotically run. “There are a lot of incompetent people there. They need to clean the club out and create a professional structure that currently doesn’t exist,” concludes Angel.

That incompetence has hit more than just Mallorca’s league stature. For most of this season, only a third of their 23,000-seater Son Moix stadium has been filled.

“There has been a huge disconnect between the fans and the club because of the way it has been run,” Roberto laments. For a team that once took 15,000 travelling fans to a cup final, that’s a damning state of affairs. Sarver’s challenge is to find a way to re-engage an entire island, but is he the man to do that, or just another pretender? Roberto isn’t sure: “Only time will tell if the club has sold its soul to the devil.”

Rangers fans can watch on with intrigue. It could have been them.