Premier League's richest owners: How much is YOUR club's ownership worth?
The Premier League is the playground of the rich and famous - and that's not just those on the pitch.
While the stars of the show are paid like kings those who own the clubs they play for very nearly actually are.
The self proclaimed #bestleagueintheworld, flushed with yet more Sky and BT TV cash, now has more money than ever.
But which club's owner boasts the most dough?
Here are the Premier League's owners and just how much they're worth:
20. Norwich - Delia Smith/Michael Wynn Jones - £23million
Britain's
most famous TV cook is a lifelong Canary and alongside husband Michael
were invited to invest in the Carrow Road club in hard financial times.
A
wholly positive influence on the club her interest was questioned after
her infamous on-pitch "let's be having you" rant in 2005.
Reuters
19. Swansea - The Morgan family - £32million
Entrepreneur Morgan and his wife launched a travel agency in 1992 and after much success sold it to Thomson seven years later.
A
relatively understated owner Morgan was thrust into the limelight in
January 2013 when his ballboy son, Charlie - then 17 - was kicked by
Chelsea's Eden Hazard.
Action Images
18. Everton - Bill Kenwright - £33million
Kenwright
made his money as a West End theatre producer and achieved critical
acclaim for high profile shows such as Blood Brothers and Joseph and his
Technicolour Dreamcoat.
He is often less acclaimed at Everton
where a number of fans regularly query his lack of investment in the
club and his perceived reticence in selling up to a richer benefactor.
Jan Kruger
17. Crystal Palace - Steve Parish - £45million
A
marketing expert by trade Parish, alongside three other businessman,
saved Palace from administration in 2010 when they successfully took
over the club after negotiating a deal with creditors.
A vocal
supporter of the club Parish is a outspoken voice on all things Eagles
and regularly converses with fans on social media.
Jamie McDonald
16. West Brom - Jeremy Peace - £50million*
An
established accountant, broker and banker Peace worked his way up
through the business world before joining the Baggies board in 2000.
Peace
was famous for the rigid structure he put in place at The Hawthorns but
has softened that stance since hiring Tony Pulis, amid continued
speculation he is looking to sell the club.
Nigel Roddis
15. Bournemouth - Maxim Demin - £100million*
Famous for not being famous Demin is the quiet and unassuming money man behind Bournemouth's fairytale.
The
Russian businessman became Cherries co-owner in 2011 and has since
helped oversee a meteoric rise all the way to the Premier League.
BNPS
14. Watford - Giampaolo Pozzo - £120million*
An Italian businessman Pozzo is part of the family who own three football clubs, Udinese, Granada and Watford.
Oft
criticised for their use of the loan market and wheeling and dealing
players between the three Pozzo has guided the Hornets back into the
Premier League and a significant spend in the summer of 2015.
Richard Heathcote
13. Aston Villa - Randy Lerner - £640million
The
American entrepreneur made his way in the business world with various
investment firms before being handed the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise
in 2002 when his father Al died.
Four years later Lerner bought
out Doug Ellis at Aston Villa for over £60million going on to help fund a
period of wild success under manager Martin O'Neill.
In May 2014 Lerner announced his intention to try and sell the club but as yet has been unable to find a buyer.
Getty
12. West Ham - David Sullivan - £850million
Alongside
partner in crime David Gold, Sullivan took control of West Ham in 2010
acquiring a 50% stake in the club, with Karren Brady joining as
vice-chairman.
Previously famous for his porn empire Sullivan has
gone to negotiate the Hammers' controversial switch to the Olympic
Stadium from the start of the 2016 season.
AFP
11. Stoke City - The Coates family - £925million
Peter
Coates and the Coates family rose to prominence with the rise of Bet365
but Coates himself was majority shareholder of the club before that.
In
two spells as owner, notably the second, Coates has seen the
establishment of Stoke as a Premier League club and a European campaign
2011-12.
Ian Walton
10. Liverpool - John Henry - £1billion
A prolific
sports franchise owner in the US, Henry and the Fenway Sports Group
became household names on these shores when they took over Liverpool in
2011.
Not a stranger to controversy Henry sacked club legend
Kenny Dalglish as boss in 2012 and kept Brendan Rodgers in a job this
summer despite widespread calls for him to go.
Responded to Arsenal's £40,000,001 offer for Luis Suarez with the now infamous "what are they smoking" tweet.
The
founder of CEO of King Power Duty Free, Srivaddhanaprabha bought
Leicester in August 2010 following a three-year shirt sponsorship deal.
Now
chairman with his son, Aiyawatt, vice-chairman he bankrolled the Foxes
back into the Premier League before controversially sacking manager
Nigel Pearson on the eve of the 2015/16 season.
Action Images
8. Southampton - Katharina Liebherr - £1.9billion
Katharina
rose to more public prominence when she took over from father Markus in
charge in 2010 when he sadly passed away from a sudden heart attack.
Not
at all popular in 2014 after overseeing the sale of a number of first
team stars fans appear to have warmed to her after the appointment of
Ronald Koeman as manager and the impressive 2014/15 Premier League
season.
An
Irish-American businessman Short founded private equity fund Kildare
Partners before gaining a controlling interest in Sunderland in 2008.
The
fourth American owner of a Premier League club has wielded the axe a
number of times but is yet to taste relegation with several narrow
escapes achieved under his stewardship.
Getty
6. Manchester United - The Glazer family - £3billion
After
the collapse of the Magnier-McManus ownership the Glazers first moved
in to purchase shares in United in 2003 and after two years of
manoeuvring finally established majority control in 2005.
Not at
all popular with fans - some even broke away to form FC United of
Manchester - their PR only got worse with numerous refinancing efforts
with the club and its assets effectively used as collateral.
Malcolm
Glazer died aged 85 in 2014 but his death didn't cause any significant
changes in how the club was run with sons Joel and Avram taking control
as joint-chairmen.
PA
5. Newcastle - Mike Ashley - £3.5billion
A self-made billionaire Ashley made his fortune in the sportswear industry, specifically the Sports Direct franchise.
Ashley
hit the headlines on the back pages when in 2007 he bought a 41% share
in Newcastle before going on to acquire a controlling stake when
chairman Freddy Shepherd stepped down in 2007.
An intensely
private person Ashley has come under fire for his perceived lack of
ambition, his reticence to invest fully in the club and his refusal to
engage with fans.
Getty
4. Arsenal - Stan Kroenke - £4billion
An American
entrepreneur Kroenke joined Arsenal's board in 2008. Three years later
he increased his shareholding to 63% after purchasing the stakes of
Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith.
Another who is happy
to take a back seat Kroenke rarely gives interviews frustrating Gunners
fans with his reticence to talk openly about club business and his
intentions.
Getty
3. Tottenham - Joe Lewis - £4.9billion
A British
billionaire who made his money in currency trading Lewis is the main
investor with the Tavistock Group which in turn own a wide variety of
concerns including Tottenham.
Lewis is one of the richest men in world, with Forbes ranking him as the tenth wealthiest Briton in 2014.
Action
2. Chelsea - Roman Abramovich - £5.3billion
Perhaps
the most notorious owner in British sport Abramovich is one of the
world's wealthiest individuals having amassed a gigantic personal
fortune from the oil, steel and mining industries in his native Russia.
In
buying Chelsea for some $400million in 2003 Abramovich changed the
landscape of English football forever and has gone to bankroll the
greatest period of success in the club's history.
Equally as
famous for his penchant for sacking as he is for his reserved nature
Abramovich is yet to be interviewed publicly despite being possibly the
single most dominant and influential figure in the game over the last
decade.
After a volatile early period in the English top flight
Jose Mourinho's return seems to have mellowed him in what perhaps could
see a more stable period going forward.
Getty
1. Manchester City - Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan - £20billion
If
Abramovich changed Chelsea then Sheikh Mansour transformed Manchester
City in all recognition. In buying them for £200million in 2008 Mansour
made City the richest club in English football history overnight.
As
chairman of the Abu Dhabi United Group Mansour has overseen a colossal
spend which has seen some of the world's finest players move to the
Etihad.
That investment has brought unrivalled success to the
club with two Premier League titles as well as several Champions League
campaigns, albeit up to now not with the success the club are aspiring
to.
With no signs of the investment drying up and coupled with
the relaxation of UEFA's FFP regulations Mansour is sure to see City
continue their assault on the game both at home and abroad in the coming
years.
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