Football's new leading lady and powerbroker has confirmed that
Arab money will bail out English football within months, with
Everton almost certain to be bought by a Middle Eastern royal
family and West Ham also a target for Arab wealth.
Amanda Staveley, who put together the £210million purchase of
Manchester City by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
is now working on bringing more Middle Eastern money to the Premier
League and up to five clubs are being targeted.
With Manchester City manager Mark Hughes flying out this weekend
to meet the sheikh and his advisers, Staveley's contacts could
further transform the English game and take its wealth beyond even
the levels of Chelsea's Roman Abramovich.
Sheikh Mansour is believed to measure his wealth in trillions of
dollars rather than billions and, if Staveley can persuade more
Middle Eastern individuals to commit to the Premier League, it
could lead to a timely boost to revenues in the English game at a
time when TV income has probably reached its peak.
While the Arab investors will not simply bankroll clubs without
any thought for the returns or the cost, stars such as Kaka at AC
Milan and Leo Messi at Barcelona are much more likely to end up in
England if such wealth is injected into the Premier League.
Arab owners would also bring a revolution in management
practice, with old-style football agents phased out and more
structured methods of scouting and recruiting introduced.