Whichever way you paint it, the Premier League is a rich man’s game.
And Newcastle are poised to be seated at the head of the table after the club were handed a boost in their takeover bid.
Most Premier League clubs are backed by billionaires
A £300million deal was agreed in April 2020 for Ashley to sell the Magpies to a consortium fronted by Amanda Staveley, ending his controversial tenure at the club.
The Premier League rejected the consortium due to concerns over the relationship between the Saudi state and alleged TV piracy.
However, the deal now looks set to be done soon after the news that Saudi Arabia plan to lift their ban on broadcaster beIN SPORTS.
But where do Newcastle’s proposed new owners rank up against billionaires of top England’s top-flight clubs?
20. Brentford – Matthew Benham (£3m)
Bees owner Benham saved the club from financial ruin before helping fund Thomas Frank’s squad that secured promotion to the Premier League.
The childhood Brentford fan took full control of the club in 2012 and made his money from gambling firms.
Benham also owns Danish side FC Midtjylland after becoming majority shareholder of the club in 2014.
Oxford physics graduate Benham is probably one of the smartest men in football
19. Norwich – Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones (£23m)
The husband and wife pair are joint majority shareholders of the Canaries and have been since 1996.
Delia Smith made her name as a cookery writer, author and television personality while Michael Wynn-Jones came from the publishing industry.
Delia Smith is co-owner of Norwich
18. Burnley – Mike Garlick (£62m)
Garlick became sole chairman of the club in 2015 when co-chairman John Banaszkiewicz stepped down.
He is the found and CEO of Michael Bailey Associates, a project management and consultancy company.
Mike Garlick became sole chairman of Burnley in 2015
17. Watford – Gino Pozzo (£93m)
Gino is the son of Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo, who made his money through the family business, tool-maker Freud.
The Pozzo family bought Watford from Laurence Bassini in 2012 and Gino has full ownership and control over the club.
Udinese and Watford are owned by Gino Pozzo
16. Leeds – Andrea Radrizzani (£344m)
Italian businessman Radrizzani purchased an initial 50 percent stake of Leeds United in January 2017, before taking full control from previous owner Massimo Cellino four months later.
Radrizzani made a great amount of his wealth with his investment firm Aser Ventures, which he launched in 2015.
The 47-year-old also has a big interest in the existing sports, media and entertainment industry, most notably through international sports broadcaster Eleven Sport.
Radrizzani is a popular figure among Leeds fans
15. Brighton – Tony Bloom (£765m)
Bloom became chairman of the Seagulls in 2009 and in that time he has overseen their rise from League One to the Premier League.
He is thought to have acquired most of his wealth from online gambling and gaming websites.
Bloom also finished fourth at the World Series of Poker in 2005.
14. West Ham – David Sullivan and David Gold (£1.62bn)
Sullivan, who the Sunday Times Rich List claim is worth £1.15bn, made his fortune in the pornography industry and he previously owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport.
Gold (£470m) owns Gold Group International, the parent company of Ann Summers and he previously co-owned adult magazine company Gold Star Publications with his brother.
Gold and Sullivan acquired a 50 per cent share in West Ham in January 2010 and then purchased a further 10 per cent a few months later.
David Gold and David Sullivan on the day they took charge of West Ham
13. Everton – Farhad Moshiri (£1.9bn)
Moshiri was previously involved at Arsenal but sold his stake in the club to complete a takeover of Everton, which was officially confirmed in February 2016.
He owns and has shares in multiple steel and energy companies in the UK and Russia.
Farhad Moshiri has owned Everton for four years
12. Liverpool – John Henry (£2.14bn)
Henry’s company Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool in 2010 and he also owns the Boston Red Sox.
The American founded John W. Henry & Company, an investment management company.
John Henry also owns the Boston Red Sox
11. Southampton – Gao Jisheng (£2.3bn)
Jisheng became the Saints’ majority owner in 2017 when he completed a £210m deal.
He was the founder of Lander Sports Development until last year when he sold enough shares to lose control of the real-estate company.
Gao Jisheng became the Saints’ majority owner in 2017
10. Newcastle – Mike Ashley (£2.5bn)
Ashley remains in charge at Newcastle United, despite recent takeover talk regarding a change of ownership ramping up.
LThe British businessman is one of the longer-serving owners in the Premier League, having purchased the Magpies back in 2007.
Ashley made the majority of his small fortune through his company Sports Direct.
Ashley is not a popular figure amongst Newcastle fans
9. Leicester – Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (£2.9bn)
The 36-year-old, known as Top, became CEO and chairman of King Power and the chairman of Leicester when his father died in a helicopter crash outside the club’s stadium in 2018.
The late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and son Aiyawatt backed Leicester and oversaw their Premier League success
8. Crystal Palace – Joshua Harris (£3.36bn)
Harris owns an 18 per cent stake in Palace as well as being the principal shareholder of the NHL team the New Jersey Devils and NBA team the Philadelphia 76ers.
He co-founded Apollo Global Management, one of the world’s largest investment firms.
Josh Harris and David Blitzer both have stakes in Crystal Palace
7. Manchester United – The Glazers (£3.5bn)
Malcolm Glazer gradually bought shares of the club between 2003 and 2005 to complete his takeover.
He made his fortune in property, banking and healthcare before his death in 2014. His sons, Avram and Joel, have since stepped up as co-chairmen.
Malcolm Glazer bought up shares in Man United between 2003 and 2005
6. Tottenham – Joe Lewis (£3.6bn)
English National Investment Company, which Lewis owns 70.6 per cent, bought a controlling stake in Tottenham in 2001 from Alan Sugar.
He is the main investor in Tavistock Group, which owns more than 200 companies ranging from sports teams, energy companies, restaurants and luxury properties.
Joe Lewis has been involved with Tottenham since 2001
5. Wolves – Guo Guangchang (£4.5bn)
Guangchang completed his takeover of the club in 2016 and has made a serious investment in the team.
He is chairman of the Fosun Group and has invested in insurance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, property, steel, mining, retail, services and finance.
Guo Guangchang has heavily invested in Wolves
4. Aston Villa – Nassef Sawiris (£5.3bn)
Sawiris replaced Tony Xia as Villa owner in July 2018 when he bought a 55 per cent controlling stake in the club.
He is from one of Egypt’s wealthiest families and owns numerous construction, engineering and building companies.
Aston Villa owners Wes Edens (L) and Nassef Sawiris helped the club return to the Premier League
3. Arsenal – Stan Kroenke (£6.35bn)
Kroenke married Walmart heiress Ann Walton in 1974 and later founded Kroenke Group in 1983, which is a property development firm.
He first became involved in Arsenal in 2007 before assuming majority control in 2011.
Kroenke also owns the LA Rams NFL team, which he relocated from St Louis in 2016.
Stan Kroenke also owns the NFL team the Los Angeles Rams
2. Chelsea – Roman Abramovich (£9.6bn)
Abramovich purchased Chelsea for £140m in 2003 and oversaw a huge investment in the squad that has brought great success to the club.
He sold his stake in the Russian gas company Gazprom in 2005 and owns stakes in steel and nickel companies among his other business ventures.
Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003
1. Man City – Sheikh Mansour (£22.9bn)
Mansour is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and half brother of current UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan.
He is chairman of International Petroleum Investment Company and also has a stake in Virgin Galactic.
He also owns the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation.
Mansour completed a takeover of the club in 2008 and has poured huge investment into the club.
Since he became the Man City owner they have won five Premier League titles.
Sheikh Mansour bought Manchester City in 2008
Where will Newcastle’s new owners be post-takeover?
The incoming £300m deal to allow the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund to take over would shoot them to the top of this list with an estimated £320BN net worth.
The consortium is backed by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman – the country’s second most important position after the King.
The 36-year-old also serves as the country’s Minister of Defence and deputy prime minister and has a reported personal wealth in excess of £2.5billion.
