17 November 2025
Football is a commodity; that is just the way it is. Despite ownership of Premier League (EPL) clubs being a widely discussed topic throughout the league’s lifespan, it seems that in recent years, a significant amount of light has been shed on owners, especially since the Saudi takeover at Newcastle.
Pundits, fans, and even players have aimed at owners for various reasons, including poor transfer business, player wages, the management of funds, and the overall treatment of a club, which has led to administration or bankruptcy.
Due to the Premier League’s impressive and wealthy infrastructure, it has attracted the richest owners to get involved in football’s most prestigious league in the world.
Notably, this article accounts for every owner’s net worth, not the club’s, which is always a tough one to determine, with most being an estimate.
Additionally, if there are clubs with numerous owners of one club, then the net worths are summed up together. Moreover, we will refer to the owner of each Premier League club, the holding company they own, how much they bought the club for and the stake they hold.
Also, a majority of the owners in the EPL own multiple clubs as well as their EPL club in order to identify talent, develop players, share analytical resources, increase brand exposure, gain power, but mainly for financial strategies. So, let’s explore the 20 owners who run each EPL club in the 2025/26 season.
| Rank | Club | Owner/s | Collective Net Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United | Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) & Reuben Brothers | £723.3bn |
| 2 | Manchester City | City Football Group & Silver Lake | £24.5bn |
| 3 | Manchester United | Glazer Family & Sir Jim Ratcliffe | £20.5bn |
| 4 | Chelsea | Behdad Eghbali, Todd Boehly, Hansjörg Wyss & Mark Walter | £19bn |
| 5 | Arsenal | Stan Kroenke | £16.1bn |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | Woody Johnson, David Blitzer, Josh Harris & Steve Parish | £13.7bn |
| 7 | Fulham | Shahid Khan | £10.9bn |
| 8 | West Ham | David Sullivan, Daniel Křetínský, Vanessa Gold & J. Albert Smith | £10.1bn |
| 9 | Aston Villa | Wes Edens & Nassef Sawiris | £8.1bn |
| 10 | Everton | Friedkin Group | £7.1bn |
| 11 | Leeds United | 49ers Enterprises | £6.4bn |
| 12 | Liverpool | John W. Henry & Tom Werner | £5.8bn |
| 13 | Tottenham | ENIC Group | £5.2bn |
| 14 | Nottingham Forest | Evangelos Marinakis | £3.3bn |
| 15 | Sunderland | Kyril Louis-Dreyfus | £2.8bn |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Fosun | £2.1bn |
| 17 | Bournemouth | William P. Foley | £2bn |
| 18 | Brighton | Tony Bloom | £1.3bn |
| 19 | Brentford | Matthew Benham | £280m |
| 20 | Burnley FC | Alan Pace | £190m |
| Name/s of Owner/s | Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman | David Reuben & Simon |
| Nationality | Arabic | Great British |
| Net Worth | £703.5bn | £19.8bn ( £9.9bn & £9.9bn) |
| Company | Public Investment Fund | RB Sports & Media |
| Year Acquired | 2021 | 2021 |
| Current Stake | 85% | 15% |
Though an exact figure for net worth is always difficult to determine, Newcastle’s Saudi owners are by far the wealthiest. At the start of the 2021/22 season, news surfaced over the potential Saudi takeover of Newcastle United, who, at the time, were owned by the infamous Mike Ashley.
In October 2021, a consortium led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), run by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, acquired a majority stake in the Magpies from former owner Mike Ashley for around £305 million.
Now, the PIF own 85% of Newcastle United with RB Sports & Media taking up the remaining 15%. RB Sports & Media is the investment arm of the Reuben Brothers, which is a family-owned private equity firm.
Since the takeover, Newcastle United have been consistent performers, with their first plan of action involving the sacking of former manager Steve Bruce and replacing him with Eddie Howe.
Howe has placed Newcastle in 4th, then 7th and 5th, even seeing silverware for the first time since 1955 through winning the EFL Cup against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium, breaking the Magpies’ 50-year trophy drought with the potential to win back-to-back cup titles brought home to St. James’ Park.
Howe has been massively backed by the owners, signing big key players like Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães. This backing is something Tyneside struggled to see before PIF, as Mike Ashley was known for his neglectful treatment of the club and lack of ambition to push the club.
This season, Newcastle find themselves in 14th in the EPL, yet their UEFA Champions League has been strong thus far, and they are through to the EFL Cup quarter finals against Fulham.
The only problem Newcastle’s owners find themselves in is being able to spend more money on player recruitment, as the Magpies must be able to sell to comply with PSR.
| Name/s of Owner/s | Sheikh Mansour | Egon Durban |
| Nationality | Emirati | American |
| Net Worth | £22.8bn | £1.7bn |
| Company | Newton Development & Investment | Silver Lake |
| Year Acquired | 2008 | 2019 |
| Current Stake | 81% | 17% |
When news surfaced surrounding a huge takeover at Manchester City, it is safe to say that fans were petrified of seeing the potential for success, especially for rivals Manchester United.
After seeing what a huge financial takeover can do to a club with Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, many were predicting the same for Manchester City, especially due to the fact that the owners were from the Middle East, specifically the UAE.
In 2008, former owner Thaksin Shinawatra sold his stake to the Abu Dhabi United Group for an approximate fee of £200 million, specifically Sheikh Mansour, who is one of the richest owners in the league.
Since the takeover, Manchester City has been the most successful English club, seeing 24 trophies come home to the Etihad Stadium, which includes their eight EPL titles and one UEFA Champions League title.
Yes, the main credit has to be given to Pep Guardiola, but backing him along the way has been the use of spending power, which has been a key theme of the takeover, even since the beginning, where they broke the British transfer record for the second time, signing Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5 million.
One of the major additions to the ownership model was Mansour’s introduction of the City Football Group, which technically owns Manchester City. The City football group is majority owned by Mansour through Newton Investment and Development, with Silver Lake taking a 17% stake of the pie.
Standing in for Silver Lake is Egon Durban, as he is pictured on City Football Group’s ownership web page. Durban has a net worth of $2.3bn, which is equivalent to approximately £1.7bn.
The City Football Group was set up to create a big multinational club ownership, and they currently own 13 different clubs around the world. With Guardiola’s future at the club uncertain, we wonder if the Cityzens will ever start to decline.
| Name/s of Owner/s | The Glazer Family | Sir Jim Ratcliffe |
| Nationality | American | British |
| Net Worth | £7.6bn | £12.9bn |
| Company | Red Football Company Ltd. | INEOS |
| Year Acquired | 2005 | 2024 |
| Current Stake | 48.9% | 28.9% |
Despite owning the most successful and famous football clubs in the world, the Glazers are extremely hated at Old Trafford. Initially, Malcolm Glazer bought 2.9% of Manchester United in 2003, but in the space of two years, the Glazers had accumulated a stake of nearly 57%.
But the Glazer family was not done there, as they purchased the 28.7% stake from J.P. McManus and John Magnier, giving the Glazers a stake of over 75%.
A month later, in June 2005, the Glazers claimed to have a clear majority stake in the Red Devils, totalling their acquisition for £790 million, but there were many questions surrounding the manner in which they did it.
This was because the takeover was funded through leveraged money, piling more debts onto the club, which hadn’t been borrowing anywhere near as much as the Glazers had.
Over time, it has been calculated that the Glazers have cost Manchester United over £1 billion, still excluding other costs, meaning they could owe more!
Malcolm Glazer passed in mid-May 2014, with his two sons, Avram Glazer (top) and Joel Glazer, taking charge at United, with Avram taking up the role of Executive Co-Chairman of Manchester United.
In early 2024, the Glazers sold some of their shares to Sir Jim Ratcliffe through his INEOS company, giving him a 28.9% share in Manchester United, whilst the Glazers have a 48.9% stake today.
This still makes the Glazer family the significant shareholder, and despite losing a fairly decent chunk of their share, the Glazers’ shares come with voting rights; therefore, they retain their power.
But hope is amongst Old Trafford that Ratcliffe can restore some balance at the club financially.
The Glazers are most definitely the worst owners in the league, whilst they haven’t entered administration, liquidation or bankruptcy, Manchester United has crumbled massively in recent years. The club’s nicknames are the Red Devils, but the real devils are those in charge of the club.
| Name/s | Behdad Eghbali | Todd Boehly | Mark Walter | Hansjörg Wyss |
| Nationality | Iranian-American | American | American | Swiss |
| Net Worth | £2.9bn | £7bn | £5.5bn | £3.6bn |
| Company | Clearlake Capital | Eldridge Industries | TWG Global | Wyss Foundation |
| Year Acquired | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Current Stake | 61.54% | 12.8% | 12.7% | 13% |
Now things get slightly complicated. If you are a fan of football and you are not aware of Chelsea’s ownership era of Roman Abramovich, then you should start to question whether you really know the sport.
Abramovich’s era at the Blues was undoubtedly the most successful period of Chelsea’s history, even one of the most successful ownerships ever, seeing 21 trophies return home to Stamford Bridge, meaning the club averaged one trophy per season under the Russian oligarch.
But, things hit the fan in March 2022, the UK government forced Abramovich to sell Chelsea due to his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Therefore, he sold the club for £4.25 billion to the current owners Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital Group (bottom left), Todd Boehly (bottom right), Mark Walter (top left) and Hansjörg Wyss (top right).
Clearlake Capital is a private equity firm founded by José E. Feliciano and Behdad Eghbali. They have a majority shareholding of 61.54% of the Blues, whilst Boehly, Walter and Wyss own the remaining 38.46%.
Altogether, the owners set up the ownership consortium BlueCo, mainly led by Eghbali and Boehly, aiming to create a multi-club network where they also bought French side RC Strasbourg in 2023.
Collectively, the four owners have a net worth of around £19bn, with Eghbali believed to be the most active owner, yet Chelsea has listed Boehly as the club’s chairman on their official website.
This is a very recent ownership and has caused some problems already for Chelsea fans, with rumours of the owners trying to buy each other's shares and large amounts of transfer spending with very little to justify the means.
Since their takeover, they have spent nearly £1.5 billion on players, including the two players of Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández, who were signed for over £100 million each.
In the Blues’ first season under the new ownership, fans were met with misery after a lacklustre EPL campaign, finishing 12th, but things have picked up under Enzo Maresca, finishing in the top four last season, winning a UEFA Conference League trophy and the revamped FIFA Club World Cup.
Despite this, there are still questions surrounding Chelsea’s spending, with fans begging for a change of direction in recruitment for less top talent and more experience.
| Name/s | Stan Kroenke |
| Nationality | American |
| Net Worth | £16.1bn |
| Company | Kroenke Sports & Entertainment |
| Year Acquired | 2018 |
| Current Stake | 100% |
As this list will be documented alphabetically, opening the account is Arsenal FC, who are owned by billionaire Stan Kroenke through his own holding company Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE).
Stan Kroenke has multiple professional sports teams under his belt, and in football, he has two: Arsenal in the Premier League and Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.
When Kroenke first bought shares in the Gunners in 2007, they were not under full control, with only 9.9% then agreeing an offer to increase his shareholding to 62% in 2011. But just over a decade later, Stan Kroenke bought Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s 30% share for approximately £550 million to gain total control.
However, fans and pundits alike were critical of the Americans' branding their lack of experience in football, or as they know it, soccer, as a barrier to success.
In the early seasons of KSE’s takeover, Arsenal were not at their best, with the Emirates Stadium seeing very little success. But since Mikel Arteta’s rise at the club, things have only been progressive with the Gunners on track to win their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 season. Arguably Arsenal’s best signing, decided by KSE.
| Name/s | Woody Johnson | Josh Harris | David Blitzer | Steve Parish |
| Nationality | American | American | American | English |
| Net Worth | £2.6bn | £8.4bn | £2.7bn | £50m |
| Company | The Johnson Company | Harris & Blitzer Sports & Entertainment | Harris & Blitzer Sports & Entertainment | Tag Worldwide |
| Year Acquired | 2025 | 2015 | 2015 | 2010 |
| Current Stake | 43% | 18% | 18% | 10% |
Crystal Palace are currently owned by four separate owners: Woody Johnson, who owns 43% of the club, business partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer own 18% each, and lastly Steve Parish, who is rumoured to own just over 10%.
Majority shareholder Woody Johnson (bottom left) is an American businessman who also owns and is the chairman of the NFL’s New York Jets. Josh Harris (bottom right) and David Blitzer (top left) are business partners who own Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), which holds three American teams, each in a different sport.
But despite being the minority shareholder, Steve Parish (top right) is the most familiar face at Selhurst Park and is considered the club’s saviour by Palace fans.
In 2010, Crystal Palace entered administration with the club facing critical financial problems, specifically huge debts and loss of assets.
Then came swooping in to save the day was lifelong Crystal Palace Steve Parish, who assembled fellow supporters to form a consortium that made a last-minute purchase to secure ownership of the club and pay the debts.
As a result, Crystal Palace were saved from liquidation and in the 2012/13 Championship season, the Eagles earned promotion to the Premier League, having stayed in their league since the 2013/14 season - the year they came up.
Parish always sought further investors, and this came in 2015 when Harris and Blitzer joined on board with Parish’s shares dropping and equalling the pair’s 18%.
Woody Johnson is the Palace’s most recent addition to the ownership model, taking over from former majority shareholder John Textor, who sold Johnson his stake for a deal around £190 million following the issues surrounding Textor’s multi-club ownership of Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais.
Last season, silverware was brought home to Selhurst Park with the Eagles celebrating an FA Cup trophy in their cabinet, as well as the Community Shield at the start of this season. Could they make another addition to their trophy cabinet this season?
| Name/s | Shahid Khan |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Pakistani-American |
| Net Worth | £10.9bn |
| Company | Flex N’Gate |
| Year Acquired | 2013 |
| Current Stake | 100% |
Fulham are currently owned by Shahid Khan of the Khan Family, who bought the club in 2013, with his son Tony a director of the club. Shahid Khan, also known as Shad, bought the Cottagers from previous owner Mohammed Al Fayed for a deal in the region of £150-£200 million.
Focusing on the present owner, Shad’s era at Fulham has been quite a challenge in recent years, with the club reporting losses despite the fact that they are generating record revenues, which is posing a slight challenge for Shad Khan.
Therefore, he has to invest heavily in the club with the redevelopment of the Riverside stand at Craven Cottage. Yet, the Whites are compliant with PSR, so whilst in the past few years Fulham have been going through some struggles, Khan should be able to pull through.
However, a lack of spending this transfer window and manager Marco Silva voicing his frustrations surrounding the lack of improvement in the squad is endangering their chances for Premier League football next season. Will Fulham drop down?
| Name/s | David Sullivan | Daniel Křetínský | Vanessa Gold | J. Albert “Tripp” Smith |
| Nationality | Welsh | Czech | English | British |
| Net Worth | £1.1bn | £7.6bn | £650m | £760m |
| Company | Conegate | Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH) | The Gold Family | GSO Capital Partners |
| Year Acquired | 2010 | 2021 | 2023 | 2017 |
| Current Stake | 38.8% | 27% | 25.5% | 10% |
The East London side, West Ham are owned by Welsh businessman David Sullivan (bottom left) owns 38.8%, Daniel Křetínský (bottom right) owns 27%, Vanessa Gold (top left) owns 25.1% and J. Albert “Tripp” Smith (top right) owns 8% with some other minority investors holding the remaining 1.1% stake in the club.
The largest shareholder, David Sullivan, acquired a 50% stake in the Hammers alongside David Gold in early 2010 for approximately £50 million. The pair then increased their stake to 60%, holding majority shares through their respective stakes.
Things changed massively when Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský came on board in 2021, purchasing a 27% stake in a deal worth around £190 million as everyone’s shares altered, with Sullivan’s dropping from 51.1% to 38,8%, Gold’s lowering to 25.1% and Smith’s slightly dropped by 2% with other investors falling to 1.1%.
Sadly, in 2023, David Gold passed away, resulting in his shares being passed down to his daughter, Vanessa Gold, but it has been reported that the family put their minority stake up for sale, although the exact amount is yet to be defined.
Whilst fans do appreciate Sullivan and Gold’s saving efforts from financial problems and a potential collapse, many blame the pair, amongst the other owners, for poor management decisions, transfer business and the transition to the London Stadium in particular.
On Sunday, West Ham fans protested against Sullivan and the Vice-Chairman of West Ham, Baroness Karen Brady, at a sit-in protest against the Hammers’ 3-1 win against Newcastle, with fans claiming the pair are destroying the club.
Yes, under this ownership, West Ham won their first ever European title, the UEFA Conference League in 2023, but the decision to sack David Moyes has faced criticism from fans and pundits alike. Especially now, since the failures of the two managerial appointments of Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.
Now, ex-Wolves, Tottenham, and Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo is head coach of the Hammers. His side is sitting in the relegation zone ahead of the international break, but has back-to-back wins, so survival looks promising.
| Name/s of Owner/s | Wes Edens | Nassef Sawiris |
| Nationality | American | Egyptian |
| Net Worth | £1.7bn | £6.4bn |
| Company | V Sports | V Sports |
| Year Acquired | 2010 | 2010 |
| Current Stake | 100% | 100% |
At the end of the 2017/18 season, Aston Villa failed to promote to the Premier League, losing the play-off final to Fulham and were on the verge of heading into administration under former Chinese owner Tony Xia, who had put the Villans through financial turmoil.
But, within hours of liquidation, Wes Edens (right) and Nassef Sawiris (left) swooped in to bring them back from the brink.
Since July 2018, billionaire pair Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have owned Aston Villa through their holding company NWSE Group, now known as V Sports.
Initially, Edens and Sawiris paid Xia £30million for a 55% stake, then paid him an additional £30 million to cover debt in Villa in May 2019, resulting in Xia's position being no more and the pair making a complete takeover, gaining more control.
Through V Sports, the pair also purchased a 29% stake in Portuguese side Vitória S.C., which paves the way for opportunities at Villa. Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris are known as Aston Villa’s saviours, having achieved some truly special moments during their tenure.
In the same season when the pair made their initial £30 million payment, Premier League football returned to Villa Park.
Since their complete takeover, Villa have reached a UEFA Conference League semi-final, reached the top four of the EPL and made the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League. It is fair to say that Edens and Sawiris really turned the ship around.
| Name/s | Dan Friedkin (The Friedkin Group) |
| Nationality | American |
| Net Worth | £7.1bn |
| Company | Roundhouse Capital Ltd. |
| Year Acquired | 2024 |
| Current Stake | 99.5% |
In 2024, a new era of ownership was announced with The Friedkin Group taking over from former majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri for a deal in excess of £400 million.
The Friedkin Group is led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin, with Christoper Sarofim and Jason Kidd joining alongside him early this year. Friedkin also bought Italian giants Roma back in 2020, providing room for opportunity between the two clubs.
Toffee fans are hoping the Friedkin Group brings a much different atmosphere and light to Everton, as Moshiri’s era was a nightmare.
Moshiri and the Everton fans did not get along, with protests taking place against the British-Iranian businessman; it was considered a civil war.
The Toffees have essentially started fresh this season with the new Hill Dickinson stadium, David Moyes getting a full season in charge, new exciting signings like Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall playing in good form and of course, the new board, so let’s see if Everton can get back to being a top ten EPL side.
| Name/s of Owner/s | York Family | Paraag Marathe |
| Nationality | American | American |
| Net Worth | £6.4bn | £170m |
| Company | 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group | 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group |
| Year Acquired | 2024 | 2024 |
| Current Stake | 100% | 100% |
Leeds United are completely owned by 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group, who are majority-owned by the York Family, with the president of the company, Paraag Marathe (top), sitting in the chair at the Peacocks.
The 49ers Enterprises is the investment arm of the NFL team San Francisco 49ers, and took over at Elland Road in July 2023 after losing out on promotion to the Premier League.
To begin with, the 49ers Enterprises were minority shareholders, first acquiring a 15% stake in May of 2018. The following season, Leeds gained promotion to the Premier League by winning the Championship in impressive style under Marcelo Bielsa.
In 2021, the 49ers Enterprises increased their 15% stake to 44% but it was not enough to be considered the majority as the previous owner, Andrea Radrizzani, took up the remaining 56%.
But, following the heartbreaking 2023/24 Championship Play-Off final, Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises agreed a deal at around £170 million for the company to gain full control.
Leeds went on to win the Championship last season in a dramatic finish, yet still an impressive campaign, obtaining 100 points. Now, they are back in the EPL, and after years of seeing the newly promoted sides struggle to survive the ever-challenging EPL, Leeds could stay up this year.
| Name/s of Owner/s | John W. Henry | Tom Werner |
| Nationality | American | American |
| Net Worth | £4.3bn | £1.5bn |
| Company | Fenway Sports Group | Fenway Sports Group |
| Year Acquired | 2010 | 2010 |
| Current Stake | 100% | 100% |
Fenway Sports Group, commonly referred to as FSG, was founded by John W. Henry (left) in 2001 with co-founder Tom Werner (right), who is the chairman of FSG and Liverpool.
At the time of FSG acquiring Liverpool in October 2010, they were known as New England Sports Ventures. Since their takeover, FSG has brought great success to Anfield, allowing fans to forget about the tough times before that.
Former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. will always be remembered for the financial trouble they caused in overshadowing their own debt into the club, which boiled up to £350 million, eventually resulting in a court hearing where they were forced to sell the club.
During the pair’s ownership, the relationship with fans was hostile, with protests taking place in the streets of Liverpool and outside Anfield. Therefore, when FSG joined the board for a reported £300 million, fans welcomed them with open arms.
But, FSG has been part of some controversies over the years, like an attempted ticket price hike which led to fans protesting, a failed attempt to trademark the word “Liverpool” which the supporters’ group and locals did not appreciate and their involvement in the European Super League project. But, fans cannot deny that FSG has brought Anfield major success.
It wasn’t smooth sailing to begin with for FSG, as Liverpool were still trying to find their feet. But in the 2013/14 season, Anfield nearly saw its first Premier League trophy come home; however, things declined after the infamous “Gerrard slips” moment.
When FSG appointed Klopp, things looked inspiring, and expectations were exceeded as in the 2018/19 season, Liverpool lifted the UEFA Champions League for the 6th time and in the following season, Klopp’s fantastic side won their first-ever Premier League trophy, breaking Guardiola's winning streak at Manchester City.
Last season, a new managerial era started at Liverpool as FSG appointed Arne Slot, which was a successful move as the Dutchman won the Premier League in his first campaign.
This took Liverpool’s league title up to 20 (18 First Divisions & 2 Premier Leagues), matching Manchester United’s 20 league titles. For the 2025/26 EPL season, FSG has backed Slot massively, spending a club record £446 million in the summer transfer window.
| Name/s | Joe Lewis |
|---|---|
| Nationality | English |
| Net Worth | £5.2bn |
| Company | ENIC Group |
| Year Acquired | 2000 |
| Current Stake | 87.62% |
The current owners of Tottenham Hotspur are the ENIC Group, formerly known as the English National Investment Company, a British investment company primarily owned by billionaire Joe Lewis and his family, with familiar face Daniel Levy holding a significant stake.
The ENIC Group became the majority owner after buying 27.4% of Lord Alan Sugar’s stake in the club for £22 million in late December 2000. ENIC went on to acquire Lord Sugar’s remaining share in 2007 for an additional £25 million and, since then, has gone on to buy shares from other minority investors, now owning 87.62% of the club.
One of the biggest decisions the board made was to open a new stadium simply called the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. White Hart Lane will always remain in a special place for Spurs fans, embedded in the club’s history.
However, the board really outdid themselves with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019, seeing the first match played on 3 April towards the business end of the 2019/20 season, which resulted in a 2-0 win over London rivals Crystal Palace.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seats 62,850, which is the largest club stadium in London and has hosted many other events outside football, even presenting the upcoming rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has multiple awards, including the World Football Summit’s Best Venue Award in 2023, recognising the stadium as one of the best in the world.
Last season, overdue success was brought home to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as former manager Ange Postecoglou led his side to the club’s first-ever European trophy, winning the UEFA Europa League against Manchester United.
But, that didn’t stop the board sacking “Big Ange” as Spurs’ domestic campaign was poor, finishing the EPL season in 17th. This season, former Brentford manager Thomas Frank takes charge of the Lilywhites.
Very recently, Daniel Levy stepped down as the executive chairman after 24 years in the position, and whilst Levy remains a significant shareholder in the ENIC Group, the Lewis Family confirmed that Levy will not be involved with Tottenham anymore.
| Name/s | Evangelos Marinakis |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Greek |
| Net Worth | £3.3bn |
| Company | NF Football Investments |
| Year Acquired | 2017 |
| Current Stake | 100% |
The current owner of Nottingham Forest is Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis, who is an interesting one. At the end of the 2016/17 season, Marinakis acquired a 100% stake in Forest, buying out the previous owner, Fawaz Al-Hasawi, in a deal worth £50 million.
At the time, Forest were playing in the EFL Championship, narrowly avoiding relegation because of a stronger goal difference. However, things have completely turned around under Marinakis as Forest are in the EPL and even in the UEFA Europa League.
Marinakis, also referred to as “Mr Marinakis” for his stereotypical big boss-like reputation, not only owns Nottingham Forest but also has stakes in Greek giants Olympiakos and Portuguese side Rio Ave.
Marinakis has brought success to the City Ground for Forest, achieving UEFA Europa League qualification, and to Olympiakos as they won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024.
Despite this success, Marinakis is quite a questionable figure, being accused of match-fixing in Greece with Olympiakos, referee interference and drug trafficking.
His most recent controversies came this season after successfully appealing Crystal Palace’s UEFA Europa League qualification due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership laws that prevent teams under the same ownership from playing in the same European competition.
Additionally, Marinakis blocked Morgan Gibbs-White’s transfer to Tottenham Hotspur as he believed Spurs illegally activated the £60 million release clause in the midfielder’s contract. Therefore, Marinakis sought legal advice and appealed against Spurs, delaying Gibbs-White’s move and giving him a new 3-year deal.
Whilst the controversies of Marinakis have been displayed, it is only fair to shed positive light too, with the Greek owner vowing to fund medical care to any Forest supporter who was hurt in the recent train stabbing.
Clearly, Marinakis is a passionate man, whether that involves trying to gain one over fellow opposition or genuinely helping local communities.
| Name/s | Kyril Louis-Dreyfus | Juan Sartori |
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Swiss-French | Uruguayan |
| Net Worth | £2.8bn | £80m |
| Company | Bia Sports Group | Union Capital Group |
| Year Acquired | 2023 | 2023 |
| Current Stake | 64% | 36% |
Sunderland is known to have the youngest owner in the Premier League, with French billionaire-heir Kyril Louis-Dreyfus first buying shares in the Black Cats in 2021 from the previous owner, Stewart Donald, to gain controlling interest in Sunderland.
The Swiss-French businessman bought shares in Sunderland whilst the Black Cats were playing in League One, where he hit headlines for becoming the youngest owner in English football.
Whilst Louis-Dreyfus has always been the owner with the highest share since his inception in 2021, he has still had to buy out other shareholders' stakes in the club to obtain a majority stake, which sits at 64% with minority shareholder, Juan Sartori, holding the remaining 36%.
Louis-Dreyfus’ family is worth noting with a prominent history of involvement in the sports business. Kyril’s father, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, was the CEO of Adidas and also owned a majority stake in French footballing giants Marseille with his wife and Kyril’s mother, Margarita.
Clearly, Kyril wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents and during his time at Sunderland, he has raised the falling Tyneside team to compete in this season’s Premier League.
As highlighted, Kyril bought shares in the club whilst the Black Cats were in League One and straight away, results showed as Sunderland gained promotion to the Championship under manager Alex Neil.
Sunderland almost won back-to-back promotions, finishing in a play-off spot, but lost to Luton Town in the semi-final. The following season, Sunderland dropped off, finishing in 16th with managerial problems.
Last season, the highly respected Roger Le Bris was appointed manager for Sunderland, which was a highly ambitious move because he was coming from Ligue 1 side FC Lorient.
Le Bris finished in 4th place, gaining a play-off spot and beating Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium in the final to earn promotion to the EPL. Currently, Sunderland has massively exceeded expectations, sitting in the top four, even drawing to current leaders Arsenal, which is truly remarkable.
| Name/s | Guo Guangchang |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Net Worth | £2.1bn |
| Company | Fosun Group |
| Year Acquired | 2016 |
| Current Stake | 100% |
Ahead of the 2016/17 Championship season, Wolves were bought by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, whose background covers different industries such as the health, happiness and wealth sector.
Fosun bought Wolves from former owner Steve Morgan CBE in 2016 for a reported deal of £45 million. Led by Guo Guangchang (top), Fosun gained full control of the Wanderers with a 100% stake in the club.
After one season in charge, Nuno Esporíto Santo was appointed as manager for the 2017/18 Championship season with huge signings being made like Rúben Neves from FC Porto, Diogo Jota on loan from Atlético Madrid and Willy Boly on loan from FC Porto.
Here, Nuno’s side experienced instant success at Molineux in winning the Championship with a total of 99 points. Since then, Wolves have spent seven seasons in the Premier League, with this being their 8th consecutive spell in the league.
But things have slowly declined for the Wanderers since promotion in 2018, as they currently find themselves at the bottom of the EPL, collecting only two points from 11 games.
Wolves have appointed Rob Edwards as Pereira’s replacement after sacking him, and with the international break taking place, he has time to implement his style to the players. The question on everyone’s lips is, can Wolves turn it around?
| Name/s | William P.Foley |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Net Worth | £2bn |
| Company | Foley Entertainment Group |
| Year Acquired | 2022 |
| Current Stake | 100% |
In December 2022, American businessman Bill Foley took over Bournemouth through his company Black Knight Football Club, purchasing his 100% share for a deal in excess of £100 million.
As well as AFC Bournemouth, Black Knight Football Club owns 100% of Auckland FC, with stakes also in FC Lorient of France, Hibernian FC of Scotland and Moreirense FC of Portugal.
Bill Foley’s takeover was completed during the 2022/23 season, when Bournemouth were struggling, seeing Scott Parker exit after a 9-0 thrashing to Liverpool and Gary O’Neil take his place.
O’Neill kept the Cherries up fairly comfortably, finishing 15th place on 39 points, but Foley had to make a big decision for the following season. Despite O’Neil’s decent time at Bournemouth, Foley decided to sack the then Cherries manager.
Foley appointed Spaniard Andoni Iraola immediately after, and so far, his time at Bournemouth has been nothing short of a success, with his side winning five out of 11 games so far, collecting a total of 18 points. The Cherries are proving many critics wrong after losing two of their most important central defenders in the Summer transfer window.
Foley’s harsh decision has turned out to be a major success for the Cherries. Let’s see if Bournemouth can keep this form up for the rest of the season. Europe could even be on the cards at the Vitality Stadium.
| Name/s | Tony Bloom |
|---|---|
| Nationality | English |
| Net Worth | £1.3bn |
| Company | Starlizard |
| Year Acquired | 2009 |
| Current Stake | 96.44% |
Similar to Matthew Benham, Brighton’s owner, Tony Bloom has a background in professional gambling. Bloom was known for his skills in sports betting and poker, even appearing on the TV show Late Night Poker, where he adopted the nickname of “The Lizard.”
From his professional gambling career, Bloom founded Starlizard, which is a betting consultancy that uses a statistical approach to find key betting opportunities for gamblers.
In May 2009, Tony Bloom became Brighton's chairman, which made perfect sense as “The Lizard’s” footballing background stems from supporting the Seagulls growing up in a family of Brighton fans.
During his time, Bloom’s treatment of Brighton has not gone unnoticed, investing just shy of £500 million, also being part of some very special moments.
When Bloom first took over as majority shareholder of the club, Brighton were in League One, then gained promotion the following 2010/11 season, where they topped the table, earning promotion to the Championship.
After six seasons in the Championship, Brighton found themselves in the Premier League, but it wasn’t smooth sailing, almost relegated in the 2018/19 season.
But since the 2021/22 season, the Seagulls have proven themselves, finishing in a UEFA Europa League spot in 2023, gaining European football for the first time in the club’s history.
During Bloom’s time as chairman of the club, he personally financed the construction of the American Express Community Stadium, which opened in 2011 and has expanded capacity since. Also, Bloom opened a state-of-the-art training facility called the AMEX Elite Football Performance Centre in 2014.
Bloom has even picked up individual awards such as Brightonian of the Year 2009, Golden Boy Club President of the Year 2023 and his latest title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2024 for his significant contributions to Brighton. Bloom’s efforts and commitment to Brighton and the city’s community have been magical.
| Name/s | Matthew Benham |
|---|---|
| Nationality | English |
| Net Worth | 220m |
| Company | Best Intentions Analytics |
| Year Acquired | 2014 |
| Current Stake | 100% |
Before taking over Brentford, Matthew Benham founded the company Smartodds in 2004, which provides statistical research, analytical data and sports modelling for professional gamblers. His story of becoming Brentford’s owner is quite touching.
Also during this time, Brentford FC were going through financial problems, gaining a debt of £7 million, where there were strong talk of the club heading towards bankruptcy.
In order to keep the club afloat, Brentford’s Supporters’ Trust, called Bees United, bought a majority shareholding in January 2006, where the club became the first London club to be owned by its supporters.
Although Brentford FC were being run by the passionate and loyal Bees United, its financial problems were not solved.
In 2007, Matthew Benham stepped up by taking charge of the club’s hefty loans and then investing his own money two years later in order to gain more shares.
In 2014, Benham managed to gain full ownership and control with enough financial capacity to focus on a long-term plan for the club. In that season, Brentford were playing in League One, but today we know the Bees to be a proven Premier League side.
Under Benham, the Bees found a new home with the Gtech Community Stadium, which opened in September 2020, situated less than a mile away from Brentford’s former home ground, Griffin Park.
At the beginning of the year, Benham made slight changes by transferring his shares to a newly formed holding company called Best Intentions Analytics to modernise the club and seek opportunities for further growth in the future.
Benham has worked wonders for the club, adopting a “Moneyball” approach that focuses on recruiting undervalued players through data and statistical analysis, which links to his own gambling style and betting business.
This approach identifies top talent or experienced players who the big clubs may not notice, yet are a perfect fit for Brentford’s tactics. Can Benham’s Brentford keep things stable in the Premier League under new manager Keith Andrews? Only time will tell.
| Name/s | Alan Pace |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Net Worth | £190m |
| Company | ALK Capital |
| Year Acquired | 2020 |
| Current Stake | 82.77% |
Burnley’s current chairman is American businessman Alan Pace, who acquired a majority shareholding of 82.7% in December 2020 through his holding company ALK Capital for approximately £170 million.
Burnley's owners have recently also gained a majority share in Spanish club RCD Espanyol after agreeing a deal in July, which allows the Clarets a chance to seek player development through multi-club ownership.
Along with Pace are his executive partners at ALK Capital, Michael Smith and Stuart Hunt. Additionally, minority shareholders feature former NFL player J.J. Watt and his wife Kealia Watt and even YouTube’s biggest sports and entertainment channel, Dude Perfect, who were announced as the Official Front of Shirt Partner for Burnley’s youth teams’ kits.
Burnley are back in the Premier League for the 2025/26 season and currently sit in 17th place on 10 points in 11 games (3W 1D 7L). Manager Scott Parker is hoping to prove his side and managerial status good enough for the EPL so that Turf Moor enjoys next season in the Premier League.
Despite the challenges of staying in the Premier League, Burnley’s chances of survival this season are fairly high, with teams like West Ham and Wolves showing zero signs of confidence and Nottingham Forest and Fulham struggling to find form. Could this be the year the Clarets stay up?
ENG
عربى