Tottenham takeover exclusive: Qatar deal most likely – ‘I’m led to believe…’
Tottenham continue to be the subject of a prospective takeover with a Qatar consortium viewed as most likely to go through with it.
American billionaires and people representing private equity funds have also held talks over buying Tottenham over the last 18 months, although nothing is at an advanced stage yet.
Daniel Levy has been cited as a reason for a takeover not materialising yet as the Spurs chairman is adamant on the club’s 3.75billion valuation.
Tottenham and Levy waiting for very best deal
Some have deemed Levy’s demands as unrealistic, although Dan Plumley is of the view that he is right to be holding out for such a figure, especially considering Tottenham’s progress on and off the pitch in recent years.
The football finance expert is of the view that the reason a takeover has not materialised yet is that Levy is holding out for the very best deal for Spurs, as opposed to there not being significant interest in buying the club.
| Clubs | Net transfer spend (2015-2025) |
| 1. Manchester United | £1.05bn |
| 2. Chelsea | £889m |
| 3. Manchester City | £860m |
| 4. Arsenal | £741m |
| 5. Tottenham | £588m |
Although the Qataris are deemed as the most likely candidates, Plumley is aware that negotiations are going to be “tricky” anyway, regardless of what people think of Levy’s role.
“I think that’s a fair assumption, we’ve seen that in the past with Spurs, haven’t we?” Plumley exclusively told Tottenham News.
“I’m led to believe that the Qatar deal is probably one of the more likely ones, but we know there have been others looking at them. I think, as always, it comes down to valuation and negotiation.
“Given everything that Spurs have done off the pitch in recent years – the new stadium, the NFL deal and the F1 deal, and everything we spoke about – you are going to be holding out for the ultimate top end of your price range.
Spurs need to get rid of ENIC
“That ultimately will come down to negotiation, so I can see that. Whether or not he [Levy] is holding it up, it’s kind of up for debate.
“I think he’ll be looking for a valuation that matches the value that Spurs think they’re worth, and that’s always tricky, especially when you’re dealing with billionaires, not millionaires and egos come into play as well.”
Tottenham have made great strides off the pitch, posting healthy financial accounts and building a new state-of-the-art stadium good enough to host non-footballing events.
However, Spurs have built a reputation as one of the worst Big Six clubs due to their lack of silverware in almost two decades.
That is where the North London club’s ownership under ENIC has left much to be desired and that is also why it is high time they are bought by a party capable of taking them forward.