Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is reportedly giving no consideration to a possible bid for Tottenham Hotspur after pulling out of the race to buy Manchester United.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have wrestled for control of the Red Devils ever since the Glazer family announced that they would entertain offers for a full sale back in November.
While Ratcliffe was only looking to purchase a minority stake at first, Sheikh Jassim was prepared to complete a full takeover debt-free, making him the early favourite to oust the Glazers.
However, the unpopular American owners did not receive the £6bn bid they were after to end their reign at the Theatre of Dreams, with Sheikh Jassim’s highest offer said to have come in at £5bn.
The Qatari billionaire ultimately pulled out of the process to buy Man United earlier this month, and INEOS chief Ratcliffe is now thought to be closing in on a 25% purchase of the 20-time English champions, which would precede a full takeover.
Since admitting defeat in his efforts to strike a deal with the Glazers, Sheikh Jassim has been tipped to try again with another member of the Premier League’s Big Six, namely Liverpool or Tottenham.
Current Spurs chairman Daniel Levy affirmed last month that he would be open to selling a stake if it was in the club’s best interests, offering the Lilywhites faithful renewed hope of fresh investment.
However, according to journalist Ben Jacobs – via football.london – there is nothing concrete regarding the links between Tottenham and Sheikh Jassim, who has no interest in purchasing another club just yet.
Jacobs adds that Sheikh Jassim’s foundation have not held any talks with Spurs over a potential takeover, and while Levy did meet with Paris Saint-Germain owner and Qatar Sports Investment chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi in January, such discussions did not lead to a deal being agreed.
For the time being, Levy appears to have no intention of relinquishing his control over Tottenham, who have been under the stewardship of the 61-year-old and Joe Lewis – who pleaded not guilty to insider trading in July – since ENIC Group bought out Sir Alan Sugar in 2000.
Over the past 23 years, Levy and Lewis have overseen Tottenham’s transformation into a side consistently challenging for top-four finishes, while also reaching the 2018-19 Champions League final.
However, Tottenham have gone 15-and-a-half years without winning a major trophy, having not lifted a piece of silverware since the 2007-08 EFL Cup, and the owners faced fierce protests in the wake of the European Super League farce in 2021.
Levy has also been the target of fan frustrations for a perceived lack of backing in the transfer market and a scattergun approach to hiring managers, having appointed Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte with the aim of ending his side’s trophy drought.
Both serial winners ended up departing the club after less than two years in charge, and Levy recently admitted that his decisions to hire Mourinho and Conte were ‘mistakes’.
However, Tottenham remain unbeaten in the Premier League under Ange Postecoglou so far this season, and the Australian could set a new record of 23 points from his first nine games in charge during Monday’s London derby with Fulham.
