Tottenham have been the subject of takeover speculation in recent weeks following the departure of former executive chairman Daniel Levy.
A public filing by the London Stock Exchange last week revealed Andrew Ashcroft has now invested in Tottenham.
Andrew, who is the son of former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, has purchased a 3.4 per cent stake in Tottenham.
Lord Ashcroft was previously known to have owned around 4 per cent of Spurs, but it is unclear whether the billionaire’s shares have now been passed down to his son or if the family has increased its stake.
The Guardian reported on 23 September the deal is worth around £100million based on the latest valuations of Tottenham.
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Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider he believes the shares have simply been passed down from Lord Ashcroft to Andrew.
The update comes at a time when Tottenham’s owners have been presented with multiple takeover deals.
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Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the situation surrounding the Ashcroft family’s shares, Borson said: “I don’t think it’s any new money coming into the club.
“I think all that’s happened is it’s been transferred from the father to the son, and it’ll have a nominal value, but it’s not new shares.
“So, the way the money would go into the club if it was £100m let’s say is the club would issue new shares to a third party, this guy Ashcroft’s son and he would pay £100m for those shares.
“The number of shares in the company would go up because they’ve issued new shares for £100m, so the whole issue share capital would be bigger, he would have x percent, and the club would get the £100m. But I don’t think that’s what’s happened.
“I think what’s happened is really much simpler than that, which is the shares have been transferred from the father to the son, and there’s no real economic difference, so I suspect it looks more interesting than it is.”
ENIC owns an 86.91 per cent stake in Tottenham, while Levy and members of his family hold a 29.88 per cent share in the British investment company, and Joe Lewis’s family trust own the remaining 70.12 per cent.
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The takeover speculation surrounding Spurs doesn’t seem to be going away.
The Sun reported on 25 September a US consortium led by tech entrepreneur Brooklyn Earick has launched a world record £4.5billion bid to buy Spurs, with the proposal including £3.3bn to purchase the club and £1.2bn to be set aside for Thomas Frank‘s player budget.
Tottenham responded to the takeover approach after releasing a new statement on 26 September, insisting they have “unequivocally rejected” an informal expression of interest from a consortium led by Earick.
However, Football Insider revealed on 26 September Tottenham’s owners could be open to a deal that would see the owner of an NFL franchise invest in the club.
Spurs’ existing contract with the NFL is understood to be an important element for potential investors, with a minimum of two games played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium each year.
The first NFL game was held at the 62,850-capacity facility when the Chicago Bears took on the Oakland Raiders in October 2019 – just months after it opened.