Most expensive Premier League Club takeovers in league history

Most expensive Premier League Club takeovers in league history

The top football teams have gained devoted fans worldwide because of their followers' emotional investment in the team. With rising investments from private entities and marketing companies looking for mutually beneficial solutions for the business, English football has generated many of the most expensive Premier League takeovers from money-making juggernauts.

Owners of Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group, have shocked the sporting world by deciding to put the Merseyside club up for sale and are demanding an absurd amount of money. Liverpool would compete for the title of the most expensive Premier League takeover ever if a takeover were to be approved in the near or long term. The most expensive Premier League teams are listed below.

10) £100m - Sports Republic for Southampton

Sports Republic, an investment firm specializing in sports and entertainment, paid £100 million in January to acquire the English Premier League club Southampton. The acquisition bid was led by Serbian entrepreneur Dragan Solak, who also spent heavily in his first year as president.

9) £134m - Mike Ashley for Newcastle United

Sports Direct's current owner, Mike Ashley, who has been the subject of much criticism for his participation with St. James' Park, originally went to Tyneside in the summer of 2007 after reportedly paying £134m for Newcastle United.

A promising start was quickly spoiled by his dismissal of Magpies hero Kevin Keegan, his decision to put the club up for sale less than a year after arriving, and his leadership during two relegations to the Championship. Ashley resigned in October of 2021 after obtaining £300 million from Public Investment, which the Saudi government sponsored.

8) £140m - Roman Abramovich for Chelsea
When Russian investor Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003, he became one of the league's most prominent new owners. Five Premier League titles, five FA Cup titles, three League Cup titles, two Champions League titles, and two Europa League titles were all won by the Blues after he came.

Abramovich is known as one of the hastiest club owners when making personnel changes. Despite what appears to be a continuous rotation of coaches, the team has been consistently successful. As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in April 2022, Abramovich became a public figure. Years of lingering suspicion about the source of his income culminated in freezing his assets and selling the club.

7. £200m - Shahid Khan for Fulham

Following Mohamed Al Fayed's incredible success, Shahid Khan sealed a £200 million buy for London club Fulham in 2013. Since the former took control, the Cottagers have become somewhat of a yo-yo club, having been relegated and promoted in the Premier League three times. Interestingly, Khan was said to be interested in purchasing Wembley Stadium in 2018, but the sale ultimately fell through.

6) £210m - Sheikh Mansour for Manchester City
The takeover of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group saw new opponents to the established elite emerge with a new type of contentious state-backed ownership, in contrast to Abramovich's move to Chelsea.

On the day of the 2008 transfer deadline, the club's new owners purchased it for £210 million, and they immediately purchased Robinho with the funds. Since 2010, City has taken home 17 significant awards, closing off a remarkable run of investment and success. It does not seem to be slowing down now that Pep Guardiola is in control after his appointment before the 2016–17 season.

5) £300m - Fenway Sports Group for Liverpool

John W. Henry's FSG has also been essential to a period of enormous success on Merseyside after buying the club from former owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks back in October 2010. Hiring Jurgen Klopp was brilliant, despite their ownership getting off to a rocky start.

Fans of Liverpool have criticized FSG for their tenure in control, despite the club's success, due to FSG's role in the European Super League plan, which resulted in a dramatic about-face by many clubs. They are now willing to sell the Reds in part or whole in response to increasing competition from state-backed clubs.

4) £300m - The Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund for Liverpool
The Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund has expressed renewed interest in purchasing Newcastle United despite ongoing controversies surrounding the country's human right record, having previously expressed interest in completing a mega-money deal for the club in April 2020 before pulling out due to a delay regarding the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test.

In October 2021, the club's new owners, led by Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Amanda Staveley, paid £300 million for the team. After that, the club hired Eddie Howe, a former manager of Bournemouth, who successfully led the team away from the drop into the second tier. Newcastle currently holds the third spot in the Premier League after a sensational start to the season.

3) £731m - Kroenke for Arsenal

American businessman Kroenke first became involved with Arsenal in 2008 and has since amassed a larger and larger ownership in the club. As things stand, he has invested a total of £731m in becoming the sole owner of the Gunners.

Since the Gunners were still feeling the pinch from the expensive transfer to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, they spent quite conservatively during his first few years in charge. While that number has grown consistently over the years, Arsenal's success has dwindled under managers like Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, and Mikel Arteta.

Kroenke's possible sale of the club has sparked speculation that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is interested in purchasing the team. Fans are upset because Unrest among fans has resulted from Kroenke's refusal to sell the franchise and the Gunners' continued ownership of Kroenke.

2) £790m - Glazer family for Manchester United

Since 2003, when Malcolm Glazer bought a 3.17 per cent ownership in the club, members of the Glazer family have been involved with the Red Devils. Even though the team has had on-field success under Sir Alex Ferguson's watchful eye, the club's American owners have taken a lot of heat from supporters for things like their role in the European Super League and their failure to invest heavily in Old Trafford.

In 2010, a group of supporters known as the "Red Knights" attempted to take over, but the arrangement fell through when they could not meet the Glazers' demands. Numerous fan protests have been held against the current ownership.

1) £4.25bn - Todd Boehly for Chelsea

As a result of Abramovich's financial hardship, American investor Todd Boehly paid a record-setting £4.25 billion to buy the Blues from him. Even though he only completed the purchase of the West London club in May, the past six months have been somewhat eventful. He funded a massive transfer splurge over the summer and unexpectedly replaced Thomas Tuchel with former Brighton tactician Graham Potter as head coach.

The Premier League club Chelsea FC is the team's most expensive premier league takeover. The FSG shareholders of Liverpool FC anticipate a massive return on their investment and believe that the club can soon compete for first place.