Professional investors are circling clubs such as Crystal Palace and Bournemouth as the Premier League becomes a space where ‘it’s fairly tough not to make money’It is more than 35 years since Brian Clough made a typically caustic assessment of football’s directors and money men,noting that “unfortunately the game attracts a certain percentage of nobodies in their own walk of life, who want to become somebodies through football”. His words still carry their truth. Such owners remain in every English division. Only the size of their ego – and chequebook – varies.
Yet there is a new breed of investor emerging. One who does not necessarily seek control of a club or hope to become a somebody. But they do want a significant return on their dosh – and they see the Premier League as an increasingly fruitful space to get it. As the Financial Times pointed out, and when the Chicago-based Peak6 Investments bought a 25% stake in Bournemouth,and a US private fairness firm bought a sizeable shareholding in Crystal Palace, it “marked the first time that professional investors have taken minority stakes in clubs”. It won’t be the final.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com