Latham advises as Brentford FC gets investment at £400m valuation

Latham & Watkins has advised on new investment into Brentford FC - the latest Premier League side to attract interest from private capital backers.

British filmmaker Sir Matthew Vaughn - best known for films including Kingsman and Snatch - and British-based Gary Lubner, former CEO of Autoglass owner Belron, are taking minority stakes in Best Intentions Analytics, which owns Brentford and Spanish third-division side Mérida. Matthew Benham will remain the team’s majority owner.

The deal values the club at around £400 million and could see the new investors take on as much as a 25% stake, according to Sky News.

Bigger picture

It’s the latest in a string of high-profile football deals which have been keeping City firms busy.

In June, a trio of US firms - Proskauer, MoFo and Sidley - advised as New York Jets owner Woody Johnson took a £190 million stake in Crystal Palace. And, back in May, Latham was enlisted when a San Francisco 49ers-backed consortium took a controlling stake in Rangers FC.

The move by UK-based Vaughn and Luber stands out in a league increasingly shaped by American capital - nearly half of Premier League clubs, including giants like Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, now have US majority or significant minority owners.

Advising

The Latham team was led by London corporate partners Ed Barnett and Hector Sants.

They received support from partner Ross Pooley (financing), Patrick Mitchell (entertainment, sports and media), Simon Skinner (tax), Quentin Gwyer (real estate), Christian McDermott (tech), Kendall Burnett (employment) and David Little (competition).