Top 10 Richest English Premiere League Club Owners And Their Net Worth

The Premier League is the playground of the rich and famous and that’s not just those on the pitch.

While the stars of the show are paid like kings those who own the clubs they play for very nearly actually are.

 

 

And with Manchester City  announcing fresh investment to the  tune of £265mfrom China there is even more money flooding into England’s top flight.

China is a country under represented in the Premier League but this deal could pave the way for move investment from the far east to England’s elite.

And as television deals increase almost season by season there has never been as much money in the game, or more reason to get into the Premier League…and stay there.

But which club’s owner boasts the most dough?

Here are the Premier League’s top 10 richest owners and just how much they’re worth:

10. Liverpool – John Henry – £1billion

A prolific sports franchise owner in the US, Henry and the Fenway Sports Group became household names on these shores when they took over Liverpool in 2011.

Not a stranger to controversy Henry sacked club legend Kenny Dalglish as boss in 2012 and kept Brendan Rodgers in a job this summer despite widespread calls for him to go.

Responded to Arsenal’s £40,000,001 offer for Luis Suarez with the now infamous “what are they smoking” tweet.

 

 

9. Leicester – Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – £1.4billion

The founder of CEO of King Power Duty Free, Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester in August 2010 following a three-year shirt sponsorship deal.

Now chairman with his son, Aiyawatt, vice-chairman he bankrolled the Foxes back into the Premier League before controversially sacking manager Nigel Pearson on the eve of the 2015/16 season.

8. Southampton – Katharina Liebherr – £1.9billion

Katharina rose to more public prominence when she took over from father Markus in charge in 2010 when he sadly passed away from a sudden heart attack.

Not at all popular in 2014 after overseeing the sale of a number of first team stars fans appear to have warmed to her after the appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager and the impressive 2014/15 Premier League season.

7. Sunderland – Ellis Short – £2.4billion

An Irish-American businessman Short founded private equity fund Kildare Partners before gaining a controlling interest in Sunderland in 2008.

The fourth American owner of a Premier League club has wielded the axe a number of times but is yet to taste relegation with several narrow escapes achieved under his stewardship.

 

6. Manchester United – The Glazer family – £3billion

After the collapse of the Magnier-McManus ownership the Glazers first moved in to purchase shares in United in 2003 and after two years of manoeuvring finally established majority control in 2005.

Not at all popular with fans – some even broke away to form FC United of Manchester – their PR only got worse with numerous refinancing efforts with the club and its assets effectively used as collateral.

Malcolm Glazer died aged 85 in 2014 but his death didn’t cause any significant changes in how the club was run with sons Joel and Avram taking control as joint-chairmen.

 

 

 

5. Newcastle – Mike Ashley – £3.5billion

A self-made billionaire Ashley made his fortune in the sportswear industry, specifically the Sports Direct franchise.

Ashley hit the headlines on the back pages when in 2007 he bought a 41% share in Newcastle 

 

 

4. Arsenal – Stan Kroenke – £4billion

An American entrepreneur Kroenke joined Arsenal’s board in 2008. Three years later he increased his shareholding to 63% after purchasing the stakes of Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith.

Another who is happy to take a back seat Kroenke rarely gives interviews frustrating Gunners fans with his reticence to talk openly about club business and his intentions.

3. Tottenham – Joe Lewis – £4.9billion

A British billionaire who made his money in currency trading Lewis is the main investor with the Tavistock Group which in turn own a wide variety of concerns including Tottenham.

Lewis is one of the richest men in world, with Forbes ranking him as the tenth wealthiest Briton in 2014.

 

2. Chelsea – Roman Abramovich – £5.3billion

Perhaps the most notorious owner in British sport Abramovich is one of the world’s wealthiest individuals having amassed a gigantic personal fortune from the oil, steel and mining industries in his native Russia.

In buying Chelsea for some $400million in 2003 Abramovich changed the landscape of English football forever and has gone to bankroll the greatest period of success in the club’s history.

Equally as famous for his penchant for sacking as he is for his reserved nature Abramovich is yet to be interviewed publicly despite being possibly the single most dominant and influential figure in the game over the last decade.

After a volatile early period in the English top flight Jose Mourinho’s return seems to have mellowed him in what perhaps could see a more stable period going forward.

1. Manchester City – Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan – £20billion

If Abramovich changed Chelsea then Sheikh Mansour transformed Manchester City in all recognition. In buying them for £200million in 2008 Mansour made City the richest club in English football history overnight.

As chairman of the Abu Dhabi United Group Mansour has overseen a colossal spend which has seen some of the world’s finest players move to the Etihad.

That investment has brought unrivalled success to the club with two Premier League titles as well as several Champions League campaigns, albeit up to now not with the success the club are aspiring to.

 

With no signs of the investment drying up and coupled with the relaxation of UEFA’s FFP regulations Mansour is sure to see City continue their assault on the game both at home and abroad in the coming years.

Indeed, Mansour can now count on fresh Chinese investment, having announced a deal to sell 13 percent of the club to CMC (China Media Capital) Holdings for $400m (around £265m).

Culled from UK Mirror