The Rich List 2020: The Premier League Club Owners - Ranked
By Tom Gott
Owning a football team isn't cheap. There's so much money in football these days that you need enormous wealth to even get yourself involved.
In the Premier League, owners range from the incredibly wealthy to some of the richest people on the face of the planet, and some of those even feature on The Times' Rich List 2020.
So, using figures from the Daily Mail to fill in the gaps, here's a look at the wealth of each of the current 20 owners.
20. Delia Smith & Michael Wynn-Jones - Norwich City (£23m)
At the bottom of this list are Norwich City owners Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn-Jones, who were season ticket holders at Carrow Road before taking over in 1996.
A successful chef, Smith might not be the most valuable owner in the division, but she is easily one of the most recognisable. Her famous 'Where are you? Let's be 'avin' you!' speech from back in 2005 will never be forgotten. Ever.
19. Mike Garlick - Burnley (£62m)
Project management guru Mike Garlick became the sole chairman of Burnley in 2015 when John Banaszkiewicz chose to step down from his role.
The Clarets have continued to invest more money into their playing squad in recent years to secure their place in the Premier League, but their record signing still sits at the comparatively low £15m spent on Ben Gibson back in 2018. Given how poorly that turned out, you can see why Burnley are hesitant to spend more.
18. Gino Pozzo - Watford (£93m)
Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo took charge of Watford in 2012 and eventually gave full control of the side to son Gino.
Giampaolo is now more preoccupied with running Serie A side Udinese, and the Hornets also have a close relationship with Pozzo's former side, La Liga's Granada, who were sold back in 2016.
17. Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ed - Sheffield United (£178m)
Saudi Arabian prince Abdullah bin Musa'ed built up his wealth through a paper manufacturing company in his homeland, before turning to Saudi side Al-Hilal for his first taste of football ownership.
In 2013, he entered into a partnership with Kevin McCabe to share ownership of Sheffield United, but the pair endured an ugly break-up in 2018. After months of legal battles, McCabe was forced to sell his share and hand over complete control to Prince Abdullah.
16. Maxim Demin - Bournemouth (£900m)
Russian fuel guru Maxim Demin first became co-owner at Bournemouth in 2011, when they were still down in League One and dealing with their descent into administration from a few years earlier. His deal to buy a share of the club cost close to £850,000.
His investment has helped the Cherries fly up the Football League, and in just four short years, they were in the Premier League.
15. Tony Bloom - Brighton & Hove Albion (£1.3bn)
Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom is believed to have accumulated the vast majority of his wealth through gambling, whether playing poker himself or through his various online start-ups.
The Bloom family has long been associated with the club. His grandfather, Harry, was a vice-chairman during the 1970s, and his uncle, Ray, is a current director as well. How nice.
14. David Sullivan & David Gold - West Ham United (£1.6bn)
The ownership of West Ham United is split between David Sullivan and David Gold, who have been business partners ever since their X-rated publishing dealings back in the 1970s.
The pair's first taste of football came with Birmingham City, but after Sullivan left St. Andrews in 2009, they bought a majority share in West Ham, with Sullivan owning 65% and Gold taking the remaining 35%.
13. Farhad Moshiri - Everton (£1.88bn)
Monaco-based businessman Farhad Moshiri sold his stake in Arsenal in 2016 to finance a takeover of Everton, which was finalised in February that year.
Moshiri's wealth is down to his investment in numerous steel and energy businesses in both the UK and Russia.
12. Mike Ashley - Newcastle United (£1.95bn)
Having made his money through numerous high-street sporting goods stores, Mike Ashley bought Newcastle United in 2007 and went on to establish himself as perhaps the least popular owner around.
The Magpies might not be down in 12th for much longer, however, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and their £320bn wealth close to striking a deal to assume control at St. James' Park. Prospective part-owners David and Simon Reuben are also second on the UK's Rich List with a wealth of £16bn.
11. John W. Henry - Liverpool (£2.1bn)
John W. Henry made his fortune through a trading firm, and after several lucrative investments, he founded Fenway Sports Group in 2001. Since then, the group has assumed control of baseball side the Boston Red Sox, alongside striking a deal to buy Liverpool in 2010.
Henry has since fulfilled the promises made by the previous owners by building a whole new training complex and confirming plans to develop Anfield, and the Reds' on-field success has gone a long way to justifying that investment.
10. Joshua Harris - Crystal Palace (£2.7bn)
Investment ace Joshua Harris teamed up with David Blitzer to take control of Crystal Palace in 2011, with chairman Steve Parish still retaining a large share of the team.
The pair have worked together in their purchases of several other sports teams, including the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils.
9. Gao Jisheng - Southampton (£3.1bn)
Gao Jisheng's takeover of Southampton in 2017 has not gone according to plan. Despite impressive financial results away from the pitch, the Saints have tumbled towards the bottom of the Premier League standings.
In fact, Gao is believed to have put the club up for sale to try and get out while he still can, and he even had to lower his asking price after failing to find any potential buyers.
8. The Glazer Family - Manchester United (£3.8bn)
First purchased by Malcom Glazer in 2003, Manchester United are now owned by sons Avram and Joel - the latter of whom owns the largest share of the Red Devils.
The takeover was largely funded by loans secured against the club's assets which have brought about hefty interest repayments, so it's not hard to see why the Glazers aren't exactly the most popular owners around.
7. Joe Lewis - Tottenham Hotspur (£3.9bn)
Tottenham Hotspur featured 3 of its executive on the Times rich list:
— TAS⚽️ (@coys100) May 18, 2020
34th-Joe Lewis 70% owner - £3.99bn
269th- David Pearl Vice President- £500m
398th - Daniel levy CEO 30% owner- £329m
Its Levy first inclusion on list.Spurs are only PL club with 3 executives in top 500 ? pic.twitter.com/hi0GFcxIT3
Club chairman Daniel Levy calls most of the shots at Tottenham Hotspur, but it is investor Joe Lewis' ENIC Group who own the majority share of the club.
Lewis is in charge of plenty of different companies worldwide, building up his wealth through everything from sports to property to energy, so you can see why fans were unimpressed to hear his plans to furlough his staff during the coronavirus outbreak.
6. Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha - Leicester City (£4.6bn)
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha spent eight years as vice-chairman at Leicester City between 2010 and 2018, before stepping up to become the chairman following the tragic death of father Vichai.
The man known as 'Top' also leads the King Power Group, who specialise in airport duty-free stores, and he also has a controlling stake in Belgian side OH Leuven.
5. Nassef Sawiris - Aston Villa (£5bn)
After financial difficulties threatened to derail Aston Villa, Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris teamed up with American Wes Edens to purchase a controlling stake in the club in 2018.
The pair helped finance a return to the Premier League, and they continued to spend hefty sums of money to try and help Villa retain their status in the top flight, breaking their transfer record twice last summer to land Tyrone Mings and Wesley.
4. Fosun International - Wolverhampton Wanderers (£5.2bn)
Led by Guo Guangchang, Fosun International bought Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016 and turned them from a mid-table Championship side into contenders for Champions League qualification in just a few years.
The investment company helped bankroll numerous huge signings, and their close relationship with agent Jorge Mendes has helped Wolves achieve things which should never have been possible.
3. Stan Kroenke - Arsenal (£6.8bn)
American businessman Stan Kroenke spent his career building up an enormous real estate portfolio, which put him in a position to lead a takeover of Arsenal in 2011.
His Kroenke Sports & Entertainment company have controlling stakes in teams from a host of different sports, including a handful of E-Sports franchises, and all that income allowed him to buy out fellow Arsenal owner Alisher Usmanov in 2018.
2. Roman Abramovich - Chelsea (£10.16bn)
One of the richest men on the planet, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's exploits with Chelsea are well known.
Abramovich threw ungodly amounts of money at the Blues for the first few years of his reign, turning Chelsea into one of Europe's strongest sides. That spending has slowed down slightly, but Abramovich still intended to oversee the construction of a new stadium before he ran into visa troubles.
1. Abu Dhabi Group - Manchester City (£23.3bn)
The runaway leaders (for now), Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group are blessed with the financial power of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Their whopping £23.3bn wealth has turned Manchester City into a global powerhouse, and they're not done yet.
City's success has increased the value of the City Football Group, who have used that money to purchase huge shares in clubs across the globe in the hope of creating a dominant empire, and there are reportedly plans to add some fresh faces to the portfolio in the near future.