The owners of Arsenal and Liverpool have joined Chelsea’s Todd Boehly in exploring the possibility of forming a multi-club network similar to the one pioneered by City Football Group, the owner of Manchester City.
It is believed that Arsenal’s Stan Kroenke – who already owns an MLS team – and Liverpool’s John W. Henry have investigated adding teams inside and outside Europe to their portfolios after Boehly expressed interest in establishing what he termed “a multi-club model.” Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are owned by the United States.
The Abu Dhabi United Group-owned City Football Group has clubs in eleven nations, including three in Europe: Girona from Spain, Lommel from Belgium, and Troyes from France.
After being rejected by the Brazilian team Santos, where Pelé played for the majority of his career, Boehly is believed to have launched the search for other clubs to invest in. It is believed that he has directed Tom Glick, Chelsea’s new head of business, to oversee the process, which might lead to investments in clubs in the Belgian and Portuguese leagues.
They and Brazil are viewed as potentially valuable sources of young players, and it is reported that Boehly consulted Jorge Mendes about which clubs to explore in the Portuguese agent’s native country.
Kroenke, who owns the Colorado Rapids of the Major League Soccer, the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, and the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League, among others, is believed to have investigated the possibility of acquiring clubs in Brazil, Belgium, and Portugal.
While Arsenal sources have downplayed any immediate ambitions, it is thought that the club wishes to strengthen its current ties with the South American nation. After a 2006 Fifa inquiry, Arsenal was cleared of unlawful contacts with the Belgian club Beveren – before Kroenke’s involvement.
Fenway Sports Group, the owner of Liverpool, also owns the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.
Last year, Fenway Sports Group sold a large stake to RedBird Capital, the company that acquired Italian champions Milan for £1.1bn in August and has an 85% stake in Toulouse. It is known that FSG desires to add to this stability. An FSG representative declined to comment.
The introduction of Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) rules after Brexit has made the process much more complicated for Premier League clubs. The multi-club model is gaining popularity due to the possibility of assisting players from lower leagues to obtain work permits in the United Kingdom by utilizing their network.
According to a study conducted by the Athletic, nine Premier League clubs (Arsenal, Brentford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, and West Ham) have relationships with 25 European and international clubs.
Uefa regulations prohibit entry into European competition for clubs that “hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other participating club,” although this does not apply if a person with a 100% shareholding in one club also has a “non-decisive influence” shareholding in another club competing in the same competition.
Boehly stated earlier this month at the Salt Conference, “We are going to continue to add resources.” “We have discussed having a multi-club model. I’d love to continue expanding the footprint.
There are various countries where club membership is advantageous. Red Bull performs an excellent job in Leipzig and Salzburg, both of which are Champions League teams, so they have found out how to make that work. Man City has a very extensive network of clubs.”
He said, “I believe that Chelsea’s current difficulty, or one of them, is that when you have 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old superstars, you may loan them to other teams, but you put their growth in the hands of someone else.
I believe that our objective is to provide avenues for our future superstars to reach the Chelsea field while providing them with actual game experience. I believe the best way to do this is by joining another team in a highly competitive league in Europe.”
