LONDON (AP) — Tottenham has insisted the club is not for sale after rejecting two preliminary expressions of interest for a possible takeover.
The club CEO said the Lewis family, whose trust controls the club's main shareholder, wants to remain involved “through the generations.”
In a statement released late Sunday, Tottenham said one of the expressions of interest came from PCP International Finance Limited, the investment vehicle led by Amanda Staveley — who brokered the 2021 buyout of Newcastle that was largely funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
Tottenham's future is under scrutiny following the sudden departure of long-time chairman Daniel Levy last week.
ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd is the club's majority shareholder with a reported 87% stake and has been run since 2022 by the family trust of 88-year-old British billionaire Joe Lewis.
He pleaded guilty last year to insider trading and conspiracy charges and was not sentenced to any prison time. Levy and his family reportedly hold about a 30% stake in ENIC.
Tottenham’s board said it “received, and unequivocally rejected, separate preliminary expressions of interest in relation to proposals to acquire" ENIC. The second expression of interest, the board said, came from a consortium of investors led by Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited.
“The board of the club and ENIC confirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale," the statement said, "and ENIC has no intention to accept any such offer to acquire its interest in the club.”
The next generationChief executive Vinai Venkatesham signaled younger Lewis family members will be more visible at Tottenham and the family believes “there’s been lots of change at the club and now is time for some calm and some stability.”
Venkatesham said in a video posted by Tottenham on Monday that Joe Lewis' daughter Viv was with the team on its preseason tour “and, going forward, around the club you'll be seeing a bit more of her brother Charlie and also her son-in-law Nick."
“The Lewis family are really clear. They see their involvement in Tottenham Hotspur being long-term and they see their involvement continuing through the generations,” Venkatesham said.
Tottenham said last week there would be “no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure of the club” following the departure of Levy, a divisive figure whose nearly 25-year tenure made him the longest-serving chairman in the Premier League.
Tottenham is playing in the Champions League this season after winning the Europa League in May for its first trophy in 17 years. Ange Postecoglou was replaced as manager despite that win and new manager Thomas Frank has won two of his first three Premier League games in charge.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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