Arsenal and Tottenham weighing up next moves amid fresh takeover battle twist

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The top brass of Arsenal and Tottenham are calculating how to react to the latest Premier League takeover news.

Few clubs in the Premier League have had the same owners for as long as the North London rivals, with Stan Kroenke and the ENIC Group first investing in 2007 and 2001 respectively.

Through his KSE investment vehicle, Kroenke gradually increased his shareholding in Arsenal until he became the club’s sole owner in 2018.

ENIC have maintained an 86 per cent stake in Spurs for over 20 years, although the group’s former owner Joe Lewis has ceased to be a person of significant control since his conviction for insider trading in 2022.

Spurs are currently seeking fresh investment, as revealed by chairman and major shareholder Daniel Levy in the club’s last set of accounts.

However, it is developments elsewhere in the Premier League that will currently have the owners of both clubs mulling over how to proceed when it comes to their investment strategies.

Arsenal and Spurs risk being left behind in multi-club gold rush

The multi-club model, wherein an investor or investors control several clubs in different markets, is popular at presents.

Inspired by City Football Group and the Red Bull network, multi-club groups like 777 Partners, MSP Sports Capital and Eagle Football Holdings have all been linked with Premier League takeovers in recent months.

Now, Liverpool are keen to get in on the act too.

As reported by The Athletic, Liverpool’s Boston-based owners Fenway Sports Group are in the early stage of talks to acquire historic French side Bordeaux.

FSG have also previously been linked with a number of sides in North and South America, and the return of multi-club advocate Michael Edwards to Merseyside further signals their intent.

Given that Man United and Man City already operate multi-club networks while Liverpool and Chelsea and Liverpool are making concrete moves to launch their own, Arsenal and Spurs risk being left behind.

Arsenal’s Kroenke owns MLS side the Colorado Rapid but appears to have effectively abandoned that club, much to the dismay of supporters.

KSE have been linked with other MLS takeovers in the past, while they have also reportedly eyed another European venture in recent years.

Spurs meanwhile have not yet been linked with buying another club, although they are putting effort into forming commercial ties with other sports, such as heavyweight boxing, Formula One and the NFL.

READ MORE FINANCE NEWS: Tottenham could now match Arsenal as £60m off-pitch deal agreed

How would the multi-club model benefit Arsenal and Spurs?

There are three reasons why clubs generally choose to launch multi-club networks – regulation, knowledge sharing and commercial advantages.

In terms of regulation, the multi-club network model would allow the likes of Spurs and Arsenal to circumvent post-Brexit restrictions on signing youth players from abroad.

Sharing knowledge and resources with clubs already established in a particular region could also give the North London clubs an edge in terms of player recruitment and retention.

And clubs are increasingly using multi-club networks to pool costs, which is a benefit in terms of PSR (formerly FFP).

Also, shared branding can create more lucrative sponsorship and merchandising opportunities, two income streams on which Arsenal and Spurs place great emphasis.