ENIC may have publicly put Tottenham up for sale with £4bn-plus takeover bidding war welcomed
ENIC may eventually decide to sell its majority stake in Tottenham, despite publicly trying to shut down all possible rumours of a takeover.
Daniel Levy departed his role as Spurs executive chairman last week, leading to the inevitable takeover speculation.
ENIC have stated that Tottenham are not for sale, although interested parties must make their intentions known by 5 October.
While all the noise suggests that a sale will not happen, it appears that it could just be a smoke screen for real intentions, with Qatari and US investors already interested.
This story includes exclusive comments from football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley.
Tottenham to be strategic amid takeover speculation
Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has made enquiries about Spurs' takeover situation, reportedly eyeing a minority stake already.
Now, football finance expert Dan Plumley - speaking exclusively to Tottenham News - has provided insight on a potential takeover.
"I think publicly, a not for sale sign in football is as good as a sale sign, isn't it?" he said.
"We know that any club is for sale at the right price. Again, talk about Spurs in that context for several years now. I think I expect to see Qatar be in there or come back in there at some point. We know there've been rumours of that as well.
- PSG are owned by Qatar Sports Investments
- Al-Khelaifi is the president of global sports broadcaster beIN Media Group
- He is chairman of the European Club Association (ECA)
"But, ultimately, whether or not you're publicly starting a bidding war, I think the reality is if a takeover is going to happen, Spurs are going to look to maximise the value, and that involves playing respective parties off against each other.
"And as I say, I think £4billion will be the starting price, and then it's what somebody's prepared to pay, whether they're prepared to pay that or potentially a little bit more.
"That's when you can start playing people off against each other, and I'm sure that'll be part of the plan for Spurs if they are keen to sell, despite being publicly not for sale."
How much have other Premier League clubs been sold for?
With Tottenham being valued at around £4billion as a starting point, there is every chance they could be sold for more.
Indeed, if they are sold for more than that figure, then it could eclipse how much was spent to acquire any of the most expensive Premier League clubs.
- Chelsea: £4.25bn (May 2022)
- Man United: £790m (May 2005)
- Arsenal: £731m (August 2018)
- Newcastle United: £300m (October 2021)
Given that three years have passed since Chelsea's takeover, it seems realistic that £4bn should be a starting point.
Tottenham are a tempting asset, given their state-of-the-art stadium, financial stability, and opportunity for growth.
In what could be a historic season for Spurs, a takeover could take them to the next level.
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