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Sheikh Jassim’s emphatic Tottenham takeover stance emerges after £5bn Man United bid collapse

Tottenham’s performances on the pitch in recent weeks have taken a turn for the worse, but they remain one of the most desirable clubs in world football from an investment perspective.

That is just as well, as Daniel Levy is looking for a new minority partner at Spurs and has commissioned the Rothschild bank to canvass the market for freꩵsh investment.

Amanda Staveley, the former Newcastle United supremo and broker🙈 for the rich and powerful in the Middle East, is one possib♕le option.

Photo by Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Via her PCP Capital Partners investment vehicle, Staveley has raised £500💞m and is looking at Tottenham.

TBR Football understands Stave🎉ley’s consortium counts investors from the Middle East amo🅠ng its members but not royals from any of the major Gulf 𝔍nations, à la Newcastle or Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side have won one of their last eight and those persistent questions about the ambitions of Levy and ENIC, the club’s major shareholders persist.

Diagram showing the ownership structure of Tottenham, including Daniel Levy, the discretionary trust benefitting the family of Joe Lewis, ENIC, and 30,000 other Spurs investors

Among those who voice their frustrations was Cristiano R♊omero, who criticised the North London club’s lওack of investment and culture, suggesting it is “always the same peop𓄧le responsible💎.”

Incidentally, speaking ahead of Spurs’ draw with Rangers at Ibrox last night, Postecoglou said there will be no reprisal for Romero from the board or manag🐻ement🍌 in N17 for his remarks.

Over the years, numerous groups and individuals have been l💞inked with taking over Tottenham, increasing spend♍ing, and inspiring the club to challenge for titles once more.

Premier League clubs squad costs (wages plus amortisation) for 2022-23, the last financial year on record.

It has been the football finance industry’s worst kept secret for several years that the club are open to investment, with a minority deal and full🧔 t💙akeover both on the table.

The likes of Liberty Media, the sports empire behind Formula One, have been suggested as potential suitors, while sources have TBR that MS🎉P Sports Capit♍al have also previously held an interest.

One name, however, has arguably stood out against the rest💫.

The mysterious Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was one of a handful of parties to submit a full takeover offer worth around £5bn for Manchester United.

Ultimately, the Glazers rejected the Qatari banker and royal’s advances in favour of a £1.2bn minority d꧑eal from Sir Jim Ratcliffe instead.

Photo by Visionhaus
Photo by Visionhaus

Sheikh Jas🍷sim was subsequently lin🐽ked with a deal to buy Spurs, who Levy values at around £3.75bn.

It was not the first time that the North Londoners had been earmarked as a potential subject of Qatari investment. Paris Saint-Germain’s owners Qatar Sports Investments, have also been me💎ntioned.

This week, fresh detail has emerged about Sheikh Jassim’s interest in the Premier League.

Photo by Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images
Photo by Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images

As reported by the , Jassim ha🦄s entirely given up hope of one day buying Man United. But does that mean aꩵ takeover of Spurs is out of the question?

Yes, according to an anonymous advisor quoted in the piece, who said: “He [Jassim] is still a United fan. He is not going to rush off and try another Premier League club.

“If the opportunity to buy the whole of Manchester United arose again at some point in the future it is hard to see there not being a big level of interest. The plans are still there.”

Photo by Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Photo by Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

So it looks like Spurs hopes of blasting hundreds of millions wortꦍh of petrodollars in the transfer market are on ice for the time beingꦯ.

But could a new minority partner in Amanda Staveley cajole th🅷e Levy-ENIC regime to increase their spending in line with their pees in the so-called Big Six?

Amid Amanda Staveley interest, would Tottenham spend more under a new owner?

If indeed she did buy into Spurs, it would be high💮ly unlikely that Sꦫtaveley would use her own capital.

Instead, the financier would probably borrow from another member of her consortium to fund a sta🅷ke, just as she did from the Reuben Brothers to acquire her equity in Newcastle in 2021.

The cash iಌnjection, Levy says, would go towards infrastructure projects – probably the hotel they are building at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and investing in the men’s and women’s teams.

Chart showing Tottenham Hotspur's squad cost (wages + amortisation) against revenue

However, there would be no obligation for Levy or ENIC to redirect fu♔nds into the club at all if it is a transfer between themselves and an external party as opposed to a new share issue.

In either case, it is unlikely that a minoriꦆty investment of around 10-20 per cent would lead to a dramatic upswing in spending. At least, not in the immediate term.

If Sp🌳urs are in real danger of slipping away from their rivals and, most crucially, losing their status as semi-regulars in the extraordinarily lucrative Champions League, they will have to open their wallets.

Chart showing how much Daniel Levy has taken from his salary as Tottenham chairman since 2001-03

T𓄧ottenham have built a ‘brand’ and a mature commercial strategy that can withstand a lot, true.

But they need to be at 💙least slightly competitive at the top end of the Premier League if Levy and ENIC’s capital appreciation plan (buy low, sell high) is going to attract the return on investment they crave.