Russian investor Dmitry Rybolovlev clarifies stance on deal linked to Amanda Staveley's Tottenham masterplan
Yesterday at 02:45 PM
The prospect of Amanda Staveley investing in Tottenham – a club who could do with the kind of optimism she inspired at Newcastle United at present – is proving very attractive to Spurs fans.
Through her investment vehicle PCP Capital Partners, Staveley is looking to invest around £500m in a football club, with Spurs seemingly top of her list.
Their demolition at the hands of Liverpool last Sunday meant Ange Postecoglou’s side will be in 11th place at Christmas. 2025 meanwhile could be their seventeenth in a row without silverware.
For a club with one of the best stadiums and annual revenues in the world, it goes without saying that is unacceptable.
Tottenham earned £550m in 2022-23, the last financial year on record. However, their owners, ENIC and Daniel Levy, are actually in the bottom half of Premier League owners in terms in their personal wealth.
Levy takes a salary – a very, very healthy one at that – but the owners do not take money out of the club via dividends or another mechanism.
Instead, their long-term plan is to on day flip the club for an enormous profit.
With Levy valuing Tottenham at around £3.75bn, the eventual return on their initial investment of about £40m will be utterly mind boggling.
Staveley’s interest is in a minority investment, with Levy and ENIC presumably looking to realise some of the value of their outlay without cashing in entirely.
However, as mentioned, North London is not the only club in the financier’s radar.
Monaco are up for sale after Dmitry Rybolovlev fielded a number of unsolicited offers earlier this year and decided it was time to sell his 66 per cent stake in the club.
Last week, an intriguing detail emerged that could theoretically have had a chain reaction that affected Staveley’s desire to invest in Spurs.
Now, Rybolovlev himself has clarified the situation.
Dmitry Rybolovlev not interest in Brazilian club,
It was reported in Brazil last week that Rybolovlev was one of several big-name investors interested in investing in historic side and recently vanquished Copa Libertadores finalists Vasco da Gama.
That sparked speculation that he could be looking to sell Monaco with greater urgency, potentially opening the door for Staveley to invest there instead of Tottenham.
However, a spokesperson for Rybolovlev has told TBR Football that there is not truth to the rumours that the Russian billionaire is looking to buy Vasco.
The spokesperson did not clarify whether Rybolovlev had received any direct overtures from Staveley or any other representative from PCP Capital Partners.
In any case, it seems that the news from Brazil will have not direct bearing – positive or negative – on the consortium’s exploration of Spurs as an investment prospect.
Who else has been linked with full or minority Tottenham takeover?
Staveley is certainly the name on most supporters’ lips when asked who might be interested in acquiring a minority stake in Tottenham.
However, there have been a number of groups and individuals linked with either a full takeover or a minority investment over the years.
TBR understands that MSP Sports Capital at one stage had a genuine interest, as did the current Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly.
However, both parties have now moved on.
Qatar Sports Investment, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar that owns Paris Saint-Germain, has also been linked with a deal.
That would be exceedingly difficult, however, due to UEFA’s conflict of interest rules. In any case, the mood music from the club has been that QSI are a non-starter.
Somewhat more outlandishly, the rapper Jay-Z has reportedly held an interest, despite having previously said similar about Arsenal.
While a billionaire in his own right, the rapper turned entrepreneur would likely only be the public face of a deal, however. That is an increasingly popular strategy among credible investors.
More broadly, the private equity sector is interest in Spurs, despite the general feeling within the market being that they might have overplayed their hand with regards to investing in the Premier League.
