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Phased buyout of Tottenham: The Facts

4 min read

Recent reports have reignited discussions about a potential takeover of Tottenham Hotspur by Qatari investors, suggesting that current chairman Daniel Levy might be offered a long-term contract to remain as executive chairman. 

However, it's important to note that these reports primarily rehash earlier speculations, with the added element concerning Levy's potential continued role.

theguardian.com

Why?

Because Spurs fans were stupidly chanting for Daniel Levy out thus helping Aston Villa beat us in the FA Cup.

Exhausted players, both physically and mentally, who need rest, currently need all the positive energy that comes with fans fully behind them and supporting them both on and off the pitch.

The job of a journalist is to pump out stories that get read, not to report news, not to report the facts, but to get eyeballs on a story, any story, so pandering to a faction achieves that,

Hence we have nothing new, just the same speculation with an added bit of pure guesswork, designed to get a reaction and thus be read by more.

This is of course, important for advertising revenue, which is the only thing the newspaper or news outlet is actually interested in, they are just a business after all.

Myself, on the other hand, well I could remove old articles, rehash the internal linking, seek backlinks, use breadcrumbs, author profiles, plenty of graphics and more entities etc and come at this blog from a commercial point of view, but for me, it's just a hobby that allows me to stay informed about my club.

Now a reporter wants an easy story, they do not want to research, they don't have the time, whereas independents like Shaun Butler and Bugsy on YouTube will dig a bit deeper than the surface story and give a subjective, as opposed to pandering to the masses, opinion.

There are others who don't do any investigation and lack the vision of the big picture, all, it seems, are in it for the money.

Chiefs and Indians.

So, what are the current facts over a phased-takeover?

The Current Facts

  • Interest from Qatari Investors: A consortium of private Qatari investors has expressed interest in acquiring a stake in Tottenham Hotspur. The proposed deal is described as potentially being a "phased buyout," where the investors would gradually increase their stake in the club over time.

    theguardian.com

  • Club Valuation: Tottenham is currently valued at approximately £3.75 billion, a figure that has yet to be met by any interested party.

  • Official Stance: Tottenham sources have denied being involved in any takeover negotiations, and there are no official discussions underway regarding a sale.

  • Identity of Investors: The identities of the Qatari investors remain undisclosed, but they are believed to be private individuals rather than government-linked entities.

  • Financial Advisory: The club has appointed Rothschild to advise on possible investment talks, with previous interest from American and Middle Eastern parties not resulting in a deal.

Given the lack of official statements or concrete details, it's challenging to distinguish between a potential phased takeover and a possible investment at this stage. 

The information available suggests that while there may be interest from Qatari investors, the specifics of any potential deal remain unclear and unconfirmed.

My Perspective:

I believe that retaining Daniel Levy could be beneficial for the club. Levy has been instrumental in transforming Tottenham's financial position since becoming the most influential figure at the club in 2001, leading to the construction of a new stadium and making Tottenham one of Europe's wealthiest clubs.

For me, his work isn't finished we still have a £200m bridge to gap, which a London-based NFL franchise would in fact achieve.

It's a common misconception among some fans that Levy is solely responsible for decisions like opting for less expensive player signings. 

In reality, while Levy oversees the club's financial operations and negotiates some transfers, the identification of transfer targets and decisions about player acquisitions are collaborative efforts involving the scouting department, the manager, the recruitment team and the board. 

Levy's role includes ensuring that the club operates within its financial means, which sometimes necessitates difficult decisions that fans without these considerations don't like.

While the recent reports have added a new dimension to the ongoing speculation, there is no substantial new information regarding a potential takeover. 

The narrative remains largely unchanged, with the added speculation about Daniel Levy's potential role in any future investment scenario.

Latest Developments on Potential Qatari Takeover of Tottenham Hotspur? None

COYS

15 comments

  1. All I want to see is Levy remain in charge. I want an owner that’s focused on making the club a sustainable and GROWING business alongside a passionate sports club.

    Why? Because the path to success requires a sacrifice of time, cash and passion. Levy to me has proven with his willingness to dedicate 2 decades of his life to have the time, he has meanwhile proven his passion by his willingness to commit to 3 major team building efforts and this latest new rebuild beginning. Meanwhile he definitely has shown his willingness to put cash towards this and unlike other owners he has acted fairly and consistently with the club and its incomes.

    He is the model of the kind of owner a club wants and needs.
    • To be fair that's consistent with what most supporters of other clubs want too. Many would kill their mothers for such a hard-nosed bargainer on their own side.

      We have him, yet people in their echo-chambers rarely pay attention to what the rest of the world say & think.

      COYS!!
  2. 3,000 on the Change For Tottenham match today. Fans finally waking up. You’ll get there eventually but your stubbornness is holding you back. Football success has never been part of ENIC’s project. They were looking for a club whose money they could use to build assets that would guarantee them enormous financial returns.
    • I always read the comments, even from those whom I disagree with. I look for fundamental points that can hold water so I can consider how much that affects my own understanding & position.

      You have replied - anonymously I see - to a comment that lays out various reasons WHY they believe (along with various people willing to consider investing THEIR actual money) having Levy at the helm is good business practice. The only point you make, and you don't bother to support it in any way whatsoever, is that Levy & the ENIC project has never been about the football or success on the field. You accuse liberally, but without a shred of support.

      TBC.
    • I look at where we are now and compare it with where we were when they took over - with an eye on overall progress over those years including an unlucky attempt at an ECL trophy - & I wonder how lucky we must be to have got so far with management in place who weren't even focussed on that.

      I'm sure there are many who are prepared to believe anything they're told to think in spite of all evidence to the contrary, but many are less maleable.

      TBC.
    • You are patronising when you suggest the commentor will understand / catch up one day. I wish I could be confident of being as patronising back at you but the evidence indicates you probably never will.

      Does that mean you're a useless waste of space? I would say not. Even those fans whose lack of understanding can have detrimental effects on our progress have shown, time & again, their willingness to stick with the club that we all love, through thick & thin. That should never be underestimated in my view. We may disagree on how best to show that, but our general desires are in line & I'm happy to celebrate that.

      COYS!!
  3. It's a matter of great frustration for me that so many fans cannot see any picture at the overall level. Entirely unable to fit the pieces together to make a whole where every piece must be considered fully if the jigsaw is ever to end up whole.

    No-one claims doing such puzzles at such a scale is ever easy, but at least the recognition that the current board seem to be continuously moving in the right direction and continue to build the club up to where we want it to be is something we should be able to expect? No?

    TBC.
  4. Our fortunes fluctuate week-by-week, but with a simple step back it's not hard to recognise the progress - unless one is scared even to look, for fear that it may contradict their long-held positions.

    I suppose you (Clive) probably mirror my own only worry - that the fans (Many of them at least.) may be the one insuperable hurdle we face in our drive to become what we all want to see.

    But who wants the fear. I'm confident we'll get there in a season or two and hold at least a competitive position at the top - if not a dominant one - for the foreseeable. Most fans will come around once they see the success in their rear-views.

    COYS!!
  5. It occurs to me that any potential investors would be looking at Spurs for one of only two reasons.

    1. Because they feel that things are looking up for the club and that current prices reflect an under-valuation based on what they can see & understand of what's going on.

    2. Because they feel the club is ripe for a takeover at a rock-bottom price.
  6. At nearly £4 billion I doubt #2 holds much joy for any savvy investor. Such an investor would also, it seems clear, want to jump in quickly & snap up as many shares as possible before their own revamp puts the prices back up. No signs of such an approach here. The reverse seems indicated in fact.

    #1 seems considerably more likely then. So, why would non-football money-men want to invest in a going concern without checking first that it's on the up? A quick check - or maybe a check that involves a lot of money paid to people who understand that particular business (Money-men never rely solely on their own judgements)?

    TBC.
  7. How then, does a football club in Spurs' position make proper money? It's true there's some money to be made from selling on products of the academy. This is never enough, on its own, to allow a club to prosper in what is an extremely competitive market. Head above water maybe, but why invest if that's what you're after. Supporters may, but money-men?

    No, the real way that top-level clubs in this game make proper money is to do what the supporters want and win lots. ECL payments are the biggest but Premier League (followed by the other European competitions) are not to be sniffed at either. So, it seems that those highly-paid experts see that THFC is already on the way to being competitive at the top level, at least to the extent that they can be profitable in a tough market.

    TBC.
  8. It's an extremely volatile & risky market though, as evidenced by the number of big clubs who've failed financially recently. Why invest unless you have strong confidence that the club has what it takes to make profits regularly?

    I would suggest that the (potential) investments reflect a recognition of how disciplined the board are with their financials which guarantees it isn't dependent on a single season to be a good one. Also that those who understand the game recognise the importance of so many youngsters in the team who've already shown at a high level.

    The future's bright; the future's SPURS.

    COYS!!
  9. Yopu are assuming the 3,000 are right, but they are not, they are wrong. They know nothing about the financial side of the game, nothing about mentality, nothing about running a club or a football team and none of them understand there is a formula for success. The club has been built, which was the essential priority, which puts us in a ball park with the top teams. Now we are building a squad for the next 7-10 years. Giving that up now and buying players to STUNT the growth of these youngsters is plain stupid. They will not grow if they don't play and we are where we are in the Premier League SOLELY because of injuries and a tiny set of exhausted players. The UEFA Europa League is at our mercy with the 1st XI coming back from injury, Champions League football is on the horizon. Without injuries, next season is a different ball game and Spurs will be in the Top 4 challenging for honours.
    • @Clive.

      I know you've mentioned this before, but while the levels of injuries this term are mainly down to extraordinary levels of bad luck & bad timings, there is also an element of it being down to the style of play too.

      This has been recognised & understood so steps are in train to organise better ways to deal with them such that they won't cause as immense a set of problems in future.

      TBC.
    • I had myself a belly-laugh seeing the Man U game on MotD at the weekend where so much was made of the injury problems Man U were suffering from. All we ever got when dealing with reporters & TV pundits were questions about why we've done so badly.

      We've had worse than that continuously for 2/3 months while at the same time having games every 2-4 days which leaves no time for preparation training for the following match. We also have a smaller budget than Man U have. Why can people only ever see what they want to see? It's bonkers.

      COYS!!