How wealthy the Bristol Rovers owner is compared to the EFL's richest clubs | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at wealth of Bristol Rovers' owner compared to some of the EFL's cash heavy clubs.

Bristol Rovers have endured a difficult season on the pitch, but off the field, things appear to be progressing well, with Hussain AlSaeed driving forward his ambitious plans for the Pirates.

This year, he has had to sack Matt Taylor, appoint Inigo Calderon, and navigate a busy January transfer window, which saw the Gas bring in five new signings from across the English football pyramid.

However, his ambitions go far beyond that, with AlSaeed looking to expand and modernise the stadium, upgrade the academy from Category Two to Category Three, and improve the training ground - developments that could be crucial in helping them push towards the Championship.

Having acquired a full share of the club from Wael and Samer al-Qadi last November, this aspiration is now fully in his hands, and he has already made some movements by preparing a second application to expand the stadium.

This news has to excite Rovers fans, but just how much money does AlSaeed have and where does that compare to some of the EFL's richest clubs?

Bristol Rovers new owner - Hussain AlSaeed

The main challenge in assessing AlSaeed's net worth is that his exact figure remains unknown. However, with former owner Al Qadi having a net worth of £550 million, it is reasonable to assume that the Kuwaiti businessman’s wealth is in a similar range.

What we do know is how Rovers' new owner built his wealth. He has a strong background in banking and finance, having previously served as Treasury and Investment Manager at the Commercial Bank of Kuwait before progressing to roles as Assistant and General Manager at Kuwait Investment International Company.

He later founded his own firm, M.E.C Consultants, but it was in real estate where he made his fortune. In 1993, he established the Al Elmam Estate Company, leading the development of housing, shopping malls, offices, and restaurants across Kuwait.

This has evidently provided him with the means to invest in football ownership. However, as previously mentioned, the exact extent of his wealth remains unclear.

The EFL has some heavily affluent clubs compared to Rovers

Unfortunately, the lack of figures regarding AlSaeed means it is difficult for Football League World to provide a direct comparison to other EFL owners.

Nonetheless, the football pyramid naturally has some affluent owners and in the same division as the Pirates we have Birmingham City. The promotion-chasers are heavily backed, with the Tom Wagner-led Knighthead Capital Management boasting an estimated $9 billion in assets for the Blues.

Meanwhile, in the division above, we have a whole host of teams with a ridiculously high net worth. Leeds United are owned by 49ers Enterprises and, according to Forbes, Denise York and her family have a net worth of $6.7 billion.

Stoke City are another team that feature in the upper echelons of the EFL's monetary hierarchy, and according to Forbes, their owner, John Coates, is worth $4.5 billion.

Quite often, these figures can be skewed, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that their net worth is being heavily invested in the club. This is evident at teams like Barnsley and Queens Park Rangers, both of which have extremely high figures due to the involvement of multiple owners.

For example, QPR's hierarchy - Ruben Gnanalingam, Richard Reilly, and the Mittal family, led by Amit Bhatia - have a combined net worth of just under $20 billion, but individually, they do not contribute that full amount.

We haven’t been able to provide a direct comparison of AlSaeed to other EFL owners, but based on his plans for the club, it’s clear he is committed to investing in the future of the Gas.