The 12 richest owners in English football right now - Sheffield Wednesday have just been linked with billionaire worth $13.3b | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are still in search of a buyer and have been linked with Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen as a potential suitor

It has been a season full of turmoil for Sheffield Wednesday, both on and off the pitch, with the Owls still in search of a buyer for the club to take them into their next era, and have most recently been linked to Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen.

With Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri finally out of the picture at Sheffield Wednesday since the Owls entered administration, the club is in search of a buyer that is, hopefully, less controversial.

Wednesday sit at the foot of the EFL Championship table on minus four points after 17 games, having been deducted 12 points for entering administration in October and dealt a further six-point penalty for Chansiri's continued payment issues.

However, you'd do well to find an Owls supporter who would have taken the alternative of Chansiri remaining at the club and not entering administration, with the former Thai owner less than popular amongst the Hillsborough faithful.

There have been numerous names linked with a purchase of the South Yorkshire outfit, including former Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor, former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, and US businessman John McEvoy.

Ashley's bid of £20 million did not meet the administrators £30 million threshold they are asking for, though two other parties have since matched the asking price.

As per The Athletic, Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, who also owns a 95% stake in Danish outfit FC Midtjylland, is believed to have an interest in Wednesday, although other reports have since ruled him out of the running.

Povlsen boasts a net worth of around $13.3B, making him the richest person in Denmark, and his funds would almost certainly have been welcome at Wednesday right now.

The Dane, who was born in the Faroe Islands, would become one of the richest owners of an English football club should his purchase of Wednesday go through, as Football League World has taken a look at the 12 richest owners in English football right now.

12 ? ? John Henry (FSG) - Liverpool - £4.6 billion ($6 billion)

John Henry is the primary owner of Liverpool Football Club, having acquired the club for approximately a mere £300 million back in 2011.

Henry owns the largest stake in FSG (Fenway Sports Group), worth about 40%, and has been responsible for major decisions at the club since his arrival, including the appointment of Jurgen Klopp and overseeing the club's Premier League and Champions League triumphs.

Henry's net worth is said to be around £4.6 billion ($6 billion), according to the Liverpool Echo, putting him among the richest owners in the country.

11 ? ? Daniel Kretinsky and David Sullivan - West Ham United - £8.9 billion combined

David Sullivan currently holds a 38.8% share in West Ham, having taken control of the club in 2010 with his late business partner David Gold, whilst Daniel Křetínský, a Czech billionaire, owns a 27% share in the club, as of 2021.

Kretinsky’s net worth is said to be around £7.79 billion, whilst Sullivan's is at a slightly less lucrative £1.168 billion, amassing a total wealth of around £8.9 billion, with the London club having been Premier League regulars for much of their history, with only a brief spell in the Championship between 2011 and 2012.

10 ? ? Coates Family - Stoke City - £9.45 billion ($12.6 billion)

The Coates family, with a net worth of around £9.45 billion, had initially bought a majority stake in their hometown club of Stoke City in 1986, but sold their stake in 1999 to an Icelandic consortium. Fast-forward seven years, and the Coates family would purchase Stoke again, and the Potters have enjoyed a rollercoaster of a ride since.

Stoke achieved promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 2008, and stabilised themselves as a solid top-flight club for nearly a decade, reaching an FA Cup final, playing European football, and achieving three consecutive 9th-placed finishes before their relegation in 2018.

The Potters have lingered around the bottom half of the table since their relegation back to the second tier, and despite heavy investment from the club, have yet to finish above 14th since being back in the Championship, something which they hope to change under Mark Robins this season.

The Friedkin Group owns a 99.5% stake in Everton, with a net worth of £9.6 billion, having completed the majority purchase of around £400 million from previous owner Farhad Moshiri in December 2024.

Everton were stuck in a rut for years under Moshiri, lingering around the bottom half of the table, but now, under Friedkin, with David Moyes at the helm, Toffees fans are hoping for brighter days, with a top-half finish in the Premier League this season well within their reach.

The Friedkin group also own Italian side AS Roma alongside Everton, with both sides seeing an upturn in their fortunes since Friedkin's acquisitions.

8 ? ? Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris - Aston Villa - £10 billion combined ($12.47 billion)

Aston Villa is owned by V Sports, a holding company controlled by the billionaire duo of Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris and American financier Wes Edens, who have amassed a combined wealth of approximately £10 billion.

V Sports, as well as owning Aston Villa, holds stakes in the likes of Vitoria S.C. in Portugal, Real Union in Spain, and has partnerships with both ZED FC in Egypt and Vissel Kobe in Japan.

Gamechanger 20 Ltd (ORG) - Ipswich Town - £10.8 billion ($14.2 billion)

Ipswich Town is owned by ORG, an American investment fund, who, according to the East Anglian Times, 'manage funds on behalf of a large US pension pot - the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System - and owns 90% of Gamechanger 20 Ltd'.

Ed Schwartz is the main representative of ORG and is the primary individual who oversees the majority of investment in the club, having taken over the club whilst they were still in League One in 2020, playing a key role in their rise to the Premier League, operating with a net worth of around £10.8 billion.

6 ? ? Shahid Khan - Fulham - £10.96 billion ($14.5 billion)

Shahid Khan is a Pakistani-American self-made billionaire who acquired Fulham in 2013 and has overseen much of the club's success in the Premier League during that period.

Known for his distinctive moustache, Khan also owns the NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars and is a co-owner of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), with a net worth of around £10.96 billion ($14.5 billion).

American businessman Stan Kroenke, as well as owning Arsenal, owns more than 1.6 million acres of ranches across the U.S. and Canada, some 60 million square feet of real estate, the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Colorado Rapids.

Kroenke first became a shareholder at Arsenal in 2007 before taking full ownership of the club in 2018, and boasts an individual net worth of $21.3 billion.

Manchester City are owned by the City Football Group, who also own 12 other clubs worldwide, with the Abu Dhabi United Group being the parent company of CFG.

Sheikh Mansour, a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi and Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, acquired Manchester City in 2008, and boasts an approximate net worth of $30 billion.

3 ? ? BlueCo (Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, etc.) - Chelsea - £23.8 billion ($30.5 billion )

Todd Boehly and BlueCo acquired Chelsea in May 2022 for £4.25 billion following the sale of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Clearlake Capital owns a 61.5% stake in BlueCo, whilst Todd Boehly's group owns the minority stake at 38.5%. Together, all of their net worth amasses at around £23.8 billion ($30.5 billion), with Boehly himself having an individual net worth of $9.3 billion.