Mastermind behind £780m deal has good news for Tottenham after talks with Amanda Staveley
11/12/2024 04:15 PM
Amanda Staveley, Tottenham’s next co-owner? The prospect of the former Newcastle United supremo coming to North London has certainly excited Spurs fans.
Staveley left Newcastle in the summer, with both her camp and the club signalling that, although she was leaving on good terms, the Middle East-focused financier had wanted to stay.
Alongside husband and business partner Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Staveley has achieved semi-legendary status at St. James’ Park.
While that is largely because of what the pair represented as the public faces of a new era under the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), it is also thanks to the seemingly genuine connection they forged with fans.
For Tottenham supporters, many of whom have grown frustrated at what they perceive to be the club’s commercial focus under Daniel Levy and ENIC, that is an evocative prospect.
It emerged in July that Staveley had raised £500m via her PCP Capital Partners investment vehicle and had Spurs in the crosshairs ahead of the potential acquisition of a minority stake.
That news came just a few months after Levy went public with what had been a poorly kept secret within the football industry for years, that Spurs are looking for external investment.
Speaking exclusively to TBR Football last month, Liverpool University football finance lecturer and industry insider Kieran Maguire characterised Spurs as a “magnificent” investment opportunity.
"They are probably the most attractive club in play in the market at present,” the Price of Football author said.”
That view is shared by almost everyone that TBR has spoken to in the world of football business – but why?
The answer usually revolves around Spurs’ world-class commercial operation.
It might well have led to many bedrock Spurs fans feeling disenfranchised, but the focus on sponsorship, hospitality packages, and so on have simultaneously turned the club into a financial powerhouse.
And perhaps the biggest symbol of the Spurs revolution since the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019 is the partnership with the NFL.
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In October, Spurs hosted the Minnesota Vikings as they took on the New York jets followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ meeting with Chicago Bears.
The NFL contributed around £10m to the construction of the 62,850-capacity stadium, with Spurs benefitting from hosting fees and brand association benefits from the London Games ever since.
Daniel Levy at one point suggested that the club wanted to host the biggest NFL event of all.
Earlier this year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared to hint that Spurs could indeed host the Super Bowl one day.
And Goodell, one of the most powerful people in sport, has now revealed that the NFL wants eight new overseas matches, with the organisation targeting a £780m standalone TV deal for the International Series.
Spurs will host NFL matches again in 2025 and, with the latest news about an increased international focus, will be first in line to be the NFL capital of Europe.
Amanda Staveley’s NFL connection
When Spurs hosted the London Games this time around, Staveley was spotted in the stands as a guest of Daniel Levy’s. But her connections with the NFL go deeper than that.
According to The Athletic earlier this year, Staveley has met NFL officials independently of her interest in Spurs.
Amid reports that Staveley is also interested in AS Monaco, her interest in the NFL bodes well for Spurs given their links with the American football institution.
Daniel Levy’s Tottenham masterplan
In total, ENIC paid around £47m to take full control of Spurs from Alan Sugar as part of a process that began almost 25 years ago.
If they sold the club tomorrow, Daniel Levy and his colleagues’ return could be up to 80 times that amount, with Spurs valuing themselves at around £3.75bn.
But the fact that the ownership is seeking minority investment only clearly indicates that, while they are ready to realise some of the value of their investment, they think there is more upside to come.
Where exactly that value comes from is not clear, but the soaring enterprise values of Premier League clubs across the spectrum suggests that the smart money is on further capital appreciation.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 5 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 | BrightonBrighton | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| 7 | FulhamFulham | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 18 |
| 8 | NewcastleNewcastle | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 18 |
| 9 | Aston VillaAston Villa | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 18 |
| 10 | TottenhamTottenham | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 16 |
| 11 | BrentfordBrentford | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 16 |
| 12 | B’mouthBournemouth | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 13 | Man UtdManchester United | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 15 |
| 14 | West HamWest Ham | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 12 |
Other than participation in the Champions League, the big appeal to investors is that increasing revenue is largely decoupled from results on the pitch.
For fans whose metric of success is tied to silverware, that is a bizarre notion.
It has been suggested that, for all his emphasis on the commercial side of the game, Spurs’ trophy drought is the very reason he is reluctant to quit the club.
Whatever the chairman and co-owner’s long-term plans, it will be fascinating to see how much control he is willing to cede to a minority investor such as Staveley.
