Who is Tottenham’s new shareholder Andrew Ashcroft? From airline arrest to billionaire father
Tottenham continue to see changes to their ranks behind the scenes following the departure of Daniel Levy.
The Lilywhites chairman departed his post after 25 years at the helm in N17, a period which transformed the club and saw the building of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There has been huge speculation that ENIC may consider selling Tottenham in the weeks since his exit, but the majority owners are still clear in their stance that the club is not for sale.
However, that hasn’t prevented the changes from continuing behind the scenes, and one particular new shareholder appears to have a very eye-catching past.
Andrew Ashcroft buys 3.4% stake in Tottenham
ENIC remain adamant that they won’t sell Tottenham, as they seem intent on keeping hold of their controlling stake in the club.
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However, a minority share of the Lilywhites has now fallen into new hands, with businessman and hotelier Andrew Ashcroft having recently purchased a 3.4% stake in the club, according to The Guardian.
He is understood to have purchased just over eight million shares in the club, which is estimated to have cost around £100million, based on recent estimations of Spurs’ valuation.
Tottenham’s new shareholder is the son of billionaire donor Lord Ashcroft, who himself is a long-standing shareholder of the N17 outfit.
It remains unclear whether Lord Ashcroft has had his shares bought out by his son, or whether the family are essentially now in possession of double their previous stake.
Ashcroft was previously based in Belize until 2021, and owned a hotel in the Central American country.
He has since moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands. A concerning moment in his past came in 2019, when he was arrested for public intoxication after an American Airlines flight was left unable to take off due to his behaviour.
Spurs need takeover uncertainty to end
The speculation surrounding a potential takeover at Tottenham has gone on for several weeks now, and it could threaten to derail their season if it continues for much longer.
The Lewis family have strenuously denied any intention of selling the club on numerous occasions, but that has done little to put a stop to any of the conversations surrounding a potential deal.
From Thomas Frank’s point of view, it is certainly far from an ideal situation for him to work under as he continues to try and turn the team around on the pitch.
So far, Tottenham have made an excellent start on the pitch, and they won’t want developments behind the scenes to detract from that at all.