Premier League Investors: Buy yourself a Football Club!

“Gold rush atmosphere” (Kicker) in Wales – With football idol Gareth Bale, Croatia’s exceptional player Luka Modric and rapper Snoop Dogg, other well‑known investors have joined Welsh clubs or are set to follow. They were apparently inspired by the success story of AFC Wrexham with investors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. 

“Welcome to Wrexham” – We had already presented this Sky documentary for football‑free days in our Premier League Offside column on our Premier League Offside column.

It is entering its fourth season – and the success proves the makers right. Wrexham became a global hit through the Hollywood stars and the fairy‑tale rise into the second English league (Championship). 

“Wrexham’s success story triggered a domino effect,” wrote Wales‑expert Mark Pitman on July 21, 2025 in Kicker‑Sportmagazin about the new wave of investors, “the power of community, the underdogs overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles: that is what Wrexham stands for and what AFC represents—it’s material for Hollywood, which McElhenney and Reynolds have recognized.”

Not just them. With the entry of rapper Calvin Broadus Jr., known as Snoop Dogg (world career under his real name not possible), who with an estimated fortune of USD 150 million is considered one of the richest artists in this genre, he invested in Swansea City.

Shares of Swansea City, which played continuously in the Premier League from 2011 to 2018, were also acquired by Croatian star Luka Modric, who in the summer signed for AC Milan.

Their investment even drew record‑caps player Gareth Bale into the picture. The 111‑time national player of the “Dragons”, World Cup participant in 2022 in Qatar, intends to take over Cardiff City. Economic interests are one aspect of Bale’s involvement, but the once most expensive player in the world was born in Cardiff in 1989 and thus has a completely different connection to the club than – with all due respect – Reynolds or Snoop Dogg.

“Modric’s name contributes sports credibility and can help make the club more attractive to players,” Pitman believes in Swansea City’s case.

Which football team does Snoop Dogg support?

Snoop Dogg, who during a benefit concert in Hamburg in summer 2007 wore a fur coat and dark sunglasses and also appeared as a “climate ambassador”, is responsible for new target groups to be reached. He even appeared in the new Swansea kit with great publicity appeal. 

Since his first TV appearance in 1994, Snoop Dogg (“Drop it like it’s hot”) never exactly stuck to one club loyalty; he has been seen in AC Milan, Ajax, Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Burnley, Norwich City, Liverpool and Manchester United shirts. It sounds more like “Nuthin’ but a G‑Thang” rather than genuine football love… 

Anyway. With his engagement in Wales it’s certain: the show business – or, to quote Jakob “Baby” Schimmerlos in Kir Royal, “the people from the so‑called show business” – has discovered British football. 

A highlight is likely to be the derby Swansea vs Wrexham, taking place for the first time since 2003, as part of the investor‑run on the Welsh clubs. 
These two famous Welsh clubs last met 22 years ago and in the fourth tier. 

Why Wales? 

Clubs from the western part of Great Britain, even after 1992 and the founding of the semi‑professional Welsh league, still belong to the English league system.
The eternally young duel “us poor Welsh against the rich English” was a not insignificant factor for US investors specializing in underdog stories.

“Like Wrexham, the other Welsh clubs are also relatively affordable takeover candidates,” explains Mark Pitman, “at least compared to the generally high‑priced English competition. But they play in an attractive environment with, at best, the best prospect: the Premier League.”

Who are the owners of the Premier League clubs?

New to the investor pool of the Premier League are German top model Claudia Schiffer and her husband, British gallery owner and director Matthew Vaughn. They bought into FC Brentford in mid‑July 2025, the youngest of the London clubs in the English elite league. 

An absolute heavyweight is US billionaire Todd Boehly at FC Chelsea. He acquired the club from Stamford Bridge from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich—disgraced after the Russian invasion of Ukraine—during whose era “The Blues” won the Champions League in 2021 and 2012. Boehly invested nearly two billion euros into the team—and in summer 2025 was finally able to celebrate: Club World Champion in the USA and, as Conference League winner (4:1 against Betis Sevilla in the Wrocław final), the first club to win all four European club competitions staged.

Almost 300 million euros were spent by the champions FC Liverpool in summer 2025 on transfers. “The Reds” are majority‑owned by Fenway Sports Group around John W. Henry and Tom Werner. “Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world and we want to make sure we behave like it,” said Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan about the transfer offensive, including Bundesliga stars Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen (125 m EUR) and Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké (95 m EUR). 

Premier League Investor List 

US investors and club owners now control the majority of the 20 clubs in the world’s most lucrative league.

Besides John W. Henry at FC Liverpool, there are among others:

The US business family Glazer and Brit Sir John Ratcliffe (27.7 percent stake) at Manchester United.

Billionaire Stan Kroenke at FC Arsenal, who also participates in US sports leagues with Denver teams.

Dan Friedkin's business group as sole owner of FC Everton. 

Alan Pace joined for approx. €180 million at PL‑returnee FC Burnley in 2020, while William P. Foley is the investor behind AFC Bournemouth. 

An absolute standout is Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis, who holds the reins at Nottingham Forest and who in 2024 led Olympiakos Piraeus to become the first Greek club to win a European Cup. Marinakis, “the great Greek”, runs both teams in autocratic style. 

The only Premier League clubs still fully UK‑owned are Brighton & Hove Albion, where pro‑poker player and businessman Tony Bloom holds 75.8 percent, and Tottenham Hotspur with Daniel Levy and the Lewis family.

Levy, who has been at the helm of the “Spurs” since 2001 and is often divisive, was among the driving forces behind the construction of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the most modern stadium in London. 

Premier League Co Owners: Where do the investors come from?

But there are also Premier League clubs owned by multiple major stakeholders. Like Chelsea, where Swiss billionaire Johann Georg (“Hans Jörg”) Wyss is also involved.

The 40 percent stake of US businessman John Textor, who also invested in Olympique Lyon, cost Crystal Palace a Europa League qualification spot. Reason: multi‑club ownership (event-breaks.com reported). 

The US group 49ers Enterprises and Austria’s Red Bull control the finances of Leeds United. 

Silver Lake (18 percent) and the Abu Dhabi United Group, active in the UK market since 2008, led Manchester City to the summit, culminating with the Champions League triumph in 202? as the pinnacle.

West Ham United is “shared” by businessmen David Sullivan from Wales, Daniel Kretinsky from Czechia and Englishwoman Vanessa Gold.

How much does a Premier League club cost?

The Premier League is the league that guarantees the highest global attention, including for investors. 

The price range, according to Transfermarkt.uk, goes from €142 million, paid by Kyril Louis‑Dreyfus and Juan Sartori for AFC Sunderland, up to €1.5 billion. That’s how much Todd Boehly’s FC Chelsea was worth, which he acquired paying €209 million over brand value. 

Who is the richest football club owner in the world?

No football club owner worldwide has greater financial power than the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which acquired 85 percent of Newcastle United. The wealth of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, at €379.5 billion, overshadows all other investors—including the Qatar Investment Group, endowed with €260 billion, which joined Paris Saint‑Germain in 2011 and took the French capital club to a new level. 

The Qataris, supported by Sir David Beckham, even managed to attract show‑business figures to the stands of the Parc des Princes in Paris, including Beyoncé Knowles and Jay‑Z. 

Against FC Barcelona (Champions League, September 2014) the rapper Kanye West was also invited. But on that day, Kanye was busy.