The changes in football on the pitch in recent years have a lot to do with what has been happening off it. International investment in British football is currently at an all-time high and has become part and parcel of the UK game, with over 30% of all clubs in the league pyramid now owned by organisations based overseas.
As foreign money has been pumped onto pitches in England, the standards in the Premier League have risen – with a trickle-down effect ensuring that the likes of the Championship, League One and League Two have also become far more competitive than ever before.
Chelsea are a fine example of how teams can benefit enormously from huge cash injections, with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2003 and transforming the London-based side into a Premier League giant. Arsenal have also received foreign investment that has enabled them to switch to a flashy new stadium and convince marquee players such as Alexis Sánchez to sign on the dotted line, whilst Tottenham Hotspur have morphed into real title challengers thanks to the thick wallets of business partners overseas.
However, it isn’t just teams in the capital that have received healthy financial bumps from businessmen abroad. There are numerous examples closer to home, with Manchester City best exemplifying the potential success of the international investment model. Pep Guardiola’s team are now one of the biggest sides in English football, having claimed two titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup since Abu Dhabi United Group elected to bankroll the blue half of Manchester in 2008.
Manchester United were bought by the Glazer family amid widespread suspicion in 2005, but their profit margins have only increased ever since. Liverpool are now worth double the amount that they were before John W Henry took over at the helm, with the American investor supplying the funds needed to acquire a range of star players, from Luis Suárez to Phillipe Coutinho (who continues to play at Anfield to this day).
Many Midlands clubs have also reaped success from foreign investment. Thai business mogul Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha played a key role in Leicester City’s stunning surge to the Premier League title and Champions League last season, and there are rumblings that their old enemies from Nottingham might well do the same. Forest have Greek shipowner Vangelis Marinakis moving to cement an 80% shareholder’s stake in the club. With his billions of pounds behind them, they’ll have the best possible platform to emulate the achievements of the Foxes and bring back the glory days of European football.
Both local football clubs and those based a little further afield have enjoyed enormous financial and competitive gain thanks to international investment. Given how many of these foreign businessmen have turned a profit from their bold ventures into the English game, it appears that many more clubs further down the pyramid could attract similar interest over the coming years. If the examples in the top tier are anything to go by, then smaller local sides may soon be leaping up the leagues with a big-pocketed businessman right behind them.
