Every Premier League Club’s Owners Ranked From Worst to Best

Behind every Premier League club, there’s an owner – the business brain whose decisions shape everything from transfer budgets to club culture. Some of these owners are revered for their bold vision, massive financial backing, and commitment to long-term success.

Others? Well, let’s just say their reigns are often marred by controversy, frustration, and their inability to put their money where their mouth is. In this ultimate ranking, we’ll dive into the world of Premier League ownership, from the billionaire benefactors to the less-than-popular tycoons, and rate them on their influence, success, and connection with fans.

Whether they’re revolutionising their clubs or leaving supporters in the lurch and acting like the silent partner, let’s take a closer look at who’s truly running the show, and who’s simply along for the ride.

20 Glazer Family (51.75%), Sir Jim Ratcliffe (28.94%)

Manchester United

Green and yellow scarf protests against the Glazer family, whose financial mismanagement left Manchester United with over £650m in debt, made Old Trafford resemble Carrow Road for much of the post-Ferguson era, in colour and shanty-like condition. When Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his consortium arrived in 2024, promising to rescue the club from its troubles, they only accelerated the decline.

In their first 10 months of trying to address the issues left by the Glazers’ reign, United spent millions extending Erik ten Hag’s contract, only to dismiss him three months into the season. They made similar moves, including hiring sporting director Dan Ashworth, increasing ticket prices, and angering supporters with widespread layoffs, as well as parting ways with club ambassador Sir Alex Ferguson.

Despite these changes, there has been no tangible success on the field, with the club suffering its worst-ever Premier League finish (15th) and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. Ruben Amorim’s appointment as manager was initially viewed as promising but he’s yet to give any indication he’s the man for the job.

19 David Sullivan, Daniel Kretinsky, Vanessa Gold

West Ham

West Ham arguably has the most complex fan-ownership dynamic in the league. Under the controversial leadership of Sullivan, Kretinsky, and Gold, the club has made numerous missteps. From the decision to uproot the team from their iconic Boleyn Ground to the soulless confines of the London Stadium spaceship, to the perception that the club has often lacked ambition, the past 15 years haven’t been kind to the east London side.

Much of the recent success has been attributed to David Moyes, who transformed Declan Rice into a world-class defensive midfielder and led the club to Europa Conference League glory in 2023. For a long time, Moyes was the one bright spot. The aftermath of the Scot’s exit has left the owners with egg on their face amid struggles under Julen Lopetegui and then Graham Potter.

18 ENIC Group (Joe Lewis family (60%), Daniel Levy (25%)

Tottenham Hotspur

The main issue with Daniel Levy and the ENIC Group is their inability to evolve with the times and keep up with their ever-flourishing competitiors, not least their neighbours Arsenal. Despite reaching a Champions League final and competing closely with the likes of Manchester City in recent title races, they never seem to have the necessary drive to take Tottenham into a period of sustained success.

The Lilywhites finally ended their long wait for silverware by claiming the Europa League. Still, not even a European trophy saves Levy’s tenure from falling short for a club within the traditional “big six.” The lack of investment in summer transfer windows, coupled with the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou after staying true to his word regarding trophy success, means they need replacement Thomas Frank to be an instant success. While the construction of their new stadium is a positive, the club continues to stagnate on the pitch.

17 Shahid Khan

Fulham

Fulham have also had a knotty relationship with their owner, Shahid Khan. No – not the evil tiger from Jungle Book – the multi-billionaire American owner who also holds stakes in NFL franchise the Jacksonville Jaguars. For years, fans hated him and his entire family for buying them in 2013 for £200m and instantly relegating them. Going through three different managers in his debut season in charge didn’t exactly help fix any broken bridges, while things at one point got so poisonous that the club’s vice-chairman told the fans to “go to hell” on Twitter.

But the last four years have proven it’s never too late to make a change, as the appointment of Marco Silva has brought back the verve at Craven Cottage. While some past grievances remain unresolved, there’s no denying that the Cottagers are enjoying a strong period, with their place in the Premier League secured for a third season in a row.

16 ALK Capital / Velocity Sports Partners

Burnley

Alan Price’s dream of becoming a Premier League chairman came to fruition in 2020 when his ALK Capital group acquired an 84% stake in Burnley. A former singer and member of the band The Animals, he’s started to find rhythm at Turf Moor regarding calling the shots after huge doubts over his and other higher-ups’ ability to run the Clarets.

Sean Dyche’s sacking in April 2022 ahead of relegation didn’t go down well with fans, given his success during his time in charge. The appointment of Vincent Kompany was a risk, but it proved to be a clever one, as he implemented an exciting brand of football and led the Lancashire outfit back to the top flight.

Pace and his colleagues, Michael Smith and Stuart Hunt, still need to win over a fair few supporters, and they’ll be hoping Scott Parker can keep the club in the Premier League. They certainly like a young and ambitious managerial appointment.

Leeds United

One of the most passionate fan bases in the country is that of Leeds United, and they are fairly optimistic about the club’s growth under 49ers Enterprises. Fronted by Paraag Marathe, the U.S.-based consortium took years completing a takeover by acquiring shares at different periods, but relegation in 2023 saw them wrap the proceedings up at £170m.

There are signs that the 49ers are the real deal and they have the financial muscle to propel the Peacocks back to competing in the top half of the Premier League. There is a solid rapport between the owners and supporters and Marathe and others intend to put a long-term plan in place for stability.

Such fan support was tested when speculation grew over Daniel Farke’s future despite leading the club to the EFL Championship title. There were suggestions that the American-based owners wanted a big name, a certain Jose Mourinho, in the Elland Road dugout, but Marathe dismissed this.

14 Stan Kroenke

Arsenal

Stan Kroenke has had an eventful association with the Gunners, rising from a minority stakeholder to the owner of the club since his first involvement in 2007. Kroenke bought his way to 100% ownership through a series of purchases, most recently snagging 27.11% of the club from Alisher Usmanov in 2018, which saw him take more than 90% of the shares, forcing a compulsory purchase of the remainder.

Arsenal struggled in his first years as owner, on the pitch, but under Mikel Arteta, have returned to the Champions League and have narrowly missed out on the Premier League title on two occasions. Kroenke has come in for criticism from fans, with the failed European Super League attempt in 2021 being a major low point for the ownership.

But with nearly £700m being spent on incomings under the current manager, the Gunners’ faithful can no longer suggest their owner doesn’t care. He may be pondering why his recruitment staff have taken so long to fetch Arteta a striker, given their constant goalscoring issues.

13 Fosun International

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves are owned by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, who bought the club from long-time owner Steve Morgan in 2016. Fosun is made up of three controlling businessmen, co-founders Gui Guangchang, Liang Xinjun and Wang Qunbin, who between them have an estimated net worth of nearly $7bn (£5.4bn).

Under their tenure, the club has established itself as a Premier League stalwart, having been in the top flight since 2018, and finishing in European spots on multiple occasions. The club has also been known for its links to Portuguese players, due to Fosun owning a minor share in Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes’ agency.

The Old Gold are in no position to be challenging for trophies, and they are playing with fire by continuously selling their top talent. Ruben Neves, Pedro Neto, and this summer, Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri have all headed for the Molineux exit door. They must show more ambition.

12 BlueCo (Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Jose E. Feliciano)

Chelsea

Chelsea‘s ownership is in the form of a consortium, made up of four parties, most notoriously Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Group, all of which make up the BlueCo group. The Blues have been under the stewardship of the consortium since 2022 when the club was bought from previous owner Roman Abramovich after the sanctions placed on Russia by the UK government following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

In that time, the club has had very limited success in comparison to its previous efforts, all while spending over a billion pounds on transfers – which amounted to three of the most expensive transfer windows of all time. However, this season’s revival – the Blues finished fourth, qualifying for the Champions League and a Europa Conference League triumph – suggests that money may be able to buy happiness eventually.

The Boehly regime could be in for a joyous ride should Enzo Maresca continue to sow the seeds of success with the toys the people upstairs have bought him. The next step is surely a title challenge given the money spent.

11 Kyril Louis-Deyfrus (64%) and Juan Sartori (36%)

Sunderland

As MGMT once sang, ‘the youth are starting to change’, and that represents Sunderland’s co-owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. The Swiss-French-born businessman became one of the youngest chairman in English football when he became majority shareholder aged 23 in February 2021.

It’s by no means been an easy ride for Louis-Dreyfrus nor co-owner Juan Sartori amid the Black Cats’ long battle to return to the top-flight. Supporters haven’t always taken to the hierarchy because of a lack of communication, but their vision for the Tyne and Wear outfit kept them on board.

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Attracting Regis Le Bris to the Stadium of Light dugout was an indication of the pull these owners have and that decision was rectified. Louis-Deyfrus and Sartori’s regime ended an eight-year absence from the Premier League. But the supposed “club-record” £32m sale of Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund has raised some eyebrows.