Americans are making more of a presence in the Premier League by owning a litany of clubs. Granted, not all of these are full ownership, as the expensive Premier League often demands multiple investors. Regardless, the ideology and business acumen of American owners is commonplace in the Premier League. In total, half of the clubs in the Premier League have at least a minority stake from the United States. Assuming all goes well with Everton and 777 Partners, which is far from a guarantee, that number climbs to 11 out of 20 clubs owned by Americans.

Some of these ownership groups or individuals are well known. Fenway Sports Group owns Liverpool. The Glazer Family has had a controlling stake in Manchester United for decades. Todd Boehly has made a financial splash at Chelsea. As is common with some of these American ownership groups, success is not a guarantee. Oftentimes, they prioritize financial gains over results on the pitch, much to the chagrin of supporters.

Here is the full list of clubs with American owners.

Premier League clubs that have Americans as owners

  • Arsenal – Stan Kroenke
  • Liverpool – Fenway Sports Group
  • Aston Villa – V Sports
    • Part-owned by American billionaire Wes Eden (V Sports) and American investment company Atairos
  • Manchester United – Glazer Family
  • West Ham – J. Albert “Tripp” Smith
    • Minority stake
  • Chelsea – Todd Boehly
  • Fulham – Shahid Khan
  • Bournemouth – Bill Foley
  • Crystal Palace – Three American investors combine for 81% ownership
  • Burnley – ALK Capital

The cost of these clubs varied based on when these owners made purchases and the relative value of the side. For example, ALK Capital purchased Burnley in 2021 for $230 million. When Todd Boehly’s consortium bought Chelsea, the American firm paid $5.3 billion to acquire the Stamford Bridge side.

Also, as stated, not all of these are controlling stakes, nor are they exclusively American. Three Americans combine for the 81% ownership stake in Crystal Palace. The outspoken John Textor accounts for 45% of that, which does give him a controlling stake. Yet, J. Albert Smith has just a 10% stake in West Ham United. Still, that gives the United States another hand in the Premier League.

Also, Everton may be joining the list. The ongoing acquisition of the Toffees from Miami-based 777 Partners has hit several hurdles in recent months. Yet, once the deal goes through, 11 Premier League clubs will have an American involved in the side’s ownership group.

Who owns the other Premier League sides?

For those that do not have American owners, the owners’ locations vary. Here is the list of other clubs’ ownership groups.

  • Manchester City – City Football Group (United Arab Emirates)
  • Tottenham Hotspur – ENIC Group (Bahamas-based British investment company)
  • Brighton and Hove Albion – Tony Bloom (English billionaire)
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers – Fosun International (China)
  • Newcastle United – Saudi Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia)
  • Brentford – Matthew Benham (English millionaire)
  • Luton Town – UK millionaire and Luton supporters
  • Sheffield United – Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud (Saudi Arabia)

The wealth of the Middle East certainly has a hand in the ownership of the Premier League, but there are select clubs that have individual owners who hail from the United Kingdom. Interestingly, Brentford and Brighton are both two clubs that have shown success with limited budgets by employing the Moneyball tactic and finding high-value players that they often sell for massive profits.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.