English Premier League's data success story Brentford open to deal
LONDON – Matthew Benham, the British businessman owner of Brentford, is considering potential offers for a stake in the English Premier League club.
One person, who asked not to be named discussing confidential information, said that the Bees are set to appoint a bank to advise on the sale.
While not as well-known as larger rivals such as Manchester United and Everton, which have also been up for sale, Brentford have been an unmitigated success story in one of football’s most competitive competitions, thanks in part to a sporting strategy engineered on the west coast of America.
“Given the recent rise and growth of our club and the changing shareholder landscape within the Premier League, it’s no surprise that there has been interest in investment opportunities at Brentford FC,” a club spokesman said on Dec 5.
Benham’s “commitment to the club remains as strong as it ever was”, the spokesman added.
But it is “only natural, and perhaps even essential” to explore what new investment could mean as Brentford look to “stay competitive and safeguard its future”.
Benham, a former Bank of America employee who invested in Brentford in 2007, took over the club when they were languishing in the lower leagues, and used data analytics to unearth talent missed by traditional scouting methods.
His dealings kept the club competitive through the regular sales of star performers, and saw the club promoted to the Premier League in 2021.
Brentford left their historic Griffin Park Stadium in 2020 to play at the 17,000 capacity GTech Community Stadium.
Their last published financial statement for the year ending June 2022 showed a profit of £29.9 million (S$50.5 million) from a revenue of £140 million.
Many teams are valued at a four-to-six multiple of revenues, but few make profits. That would give the club a valuation of in excess of £500 million.
All Premier League teams make at least £100 million a year in broadcast revenue. This infusion of cash was extended for another four years on Dec 4 as the Premier League secured a £6.7 billion deal.
Kieran Maguire, a lecturer in football finance at University of Liverpool, said that Brentford’s valuation would be positively impacted by good player trading, their new stadium and this week’s Premier League broadcasting deal.
Brentford are also a rare London-based club up for sale. At the same time, West Ham United are currently selling a 10 per cent stake, while an investor in Tottenham Hotspur is open to a stake sale. BLOOMBERG
