Espanyol COO confident on multi-club ownership, calls Premier League a ‘backward-looking’ financial system

Espanyol COO Brad Spiby has told Football España that he is confident that ALK capital can pull off multi-club ownership successfully. His group, headed by Alan Pace, are majority owners at both Burnley and Espanyol, the latter investment occurring last July. He also praised La Liga’s salary limit system, which at times has been criticised for being overly strict.

The topic of multi-club ownership has become a highly controversial one over recent seasons, with several groups seeing a decline in performance on the pitch, and accusations of negligence for one or more of the clubs in the group. Yet speaking to FE during a La Liga event, Spiby explained that running the clubs was a duty they took very seriously.

“It goes without saying that this club has historically been very successful, and is a storied club, and one of the most in Spanish football. We talk a lot about it in our ownership group, about being custodians, it’s something that we wear heavily on our shoulders, but also with Burnley. Another founding club of the English league. So being custodians, and preserving what we have found at Espanyol, and leaning into what it has been historically, and use that as a superpower going forward.”

“We have the resources for both Espanyol and Burnley”

When asked specifically about how they intend to go about multi-club ownership and how they intend to avoid the pitfalls mentioned above, Spiby was confident that they felt they had resources to manage both clubs.

“Obviously a question that’s more topical by the day, and one we get asked quite a lot. The reality for us is that we have a well-resourced platform and we would never have taken on the opportunity to be custodians of Espanyol if we did not have the resources to carry on. And so, both clubs are well-resourced, are operating on a standalone basis, as Alan has mentioned many times. And the only answer we can give is that we have the resources for both clubs.”

“The fact that Espanyol has been, and is currently in the midtable of sponsorship goes to the current efforts of the team, given that the club hasn’t been a midtable club in the last five years, going down to the second division. So I think the starting point we’re working from is a good one, and that’s thanks to the current efforts and the support we have from Kelme and Dani.”

Fem que sigui una nit 𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄. pic.twitter.com/6LVCJvvnog

— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) May 22, 2026

Spiby, who previously worked at Valencia before joining ALK Capital and Burnley, said their goal was to have Espanyol running sustainably.

“Being a custodian for us is making sure that we’re preserving what Espanyol is, which is a historic and long-standing power of Spanish football. Our goal is to make sure we return Espanyol to that status with a self-sufficient base so that it will continue to be there for a very long time. We’re very fortunate that the previous owners have provided us with a strong financial base in that regard, it’s very effective to work from. Now it’s our job to utilise the assets that are at our fingertips, that are difficult to find across European football. It’s ultimately one of the reasons we were attracted to this club in order to return Espanyol to the upper echelons.”

“In the end it’s the same game, and a lot of the challenges exist across the both of them [leagues]. From an investor perspective, which is my initial lens, anyone that tells you that football is anything other than extremely challenging is either lying, or has a level that I’m yet to see after a few years in this industry. The first part is that both are incredibly challenging markets. That’s why we’ve decided we need to be hands-on operators at both clubs. Alan is the president of both clubs, and lives in Barcelona, and lives in Burnley. So I think that’s the first part.”

Espanyol have plenty of CVC funds available

Having moved to the RCDE Stadium in 2014, a newly built and club specific premises, Los Pericos did not have major infrastructure to improve following the CVC deal in 2021. Spiby revealed that those funds are being sat on for future projects.

“The example for us, it’s a bit more difficult, because of the fantastic fixed assets we have in the stadium in Cornella, and the sports city we have on the other side of the city. It’s been a little bit more difficult for us to utilise those funds, but coming in as a new owner, it’s incredible to have these funds available to think about how we can develop our current assets, and use that for the future. We still have those funds available, for our use, those funds haven’t been used by the previous owners, so we have a lot of capital available to us to deploy and invest in the opportunities to attract new fans, but also improve the experience for our current fans. Our fans have been through a more difficult time for the club of late.”

“It’s more important to cater to our fans here first”

One the frequent questions that comes up regarding Espanyol is how they manage to compete for attention and fans in a city that also contains the behemoth of Barcelona.

“A lot of focus goes into it externally in terms of our competition with Barcelona. But for us it’s nothing new. With Burnley, we have Manchester City and Manchester United nearby, so you’re competing with them, and also Barcelona. When you look at the international market, you’re not just competing with teams locally, but all the teams that can take a share of the market globally.”

“For us, it’s more important that we’re catering to our fans that are already here first and foremost. It’s a great opportunity to continue to serve the fans that are with us today, and have been with us for a long period of time through success, and through more difficult times. So our priority is to make sure they have the best experience possible, and then they can be our biggest endorsers in the market. If we were to focus anywhere else, that would be a large oversight from our part.”

Spiby: “Premier League has backwards-looking system”

One of the things that is different when managing Burnley and Espanyol is the spending rules in English football and La Liga. Clubs in Spain are subbject to stricter rules, where they may only spend 70% of their income on players and transfers before being subject to restrictions on what players they can register. Spiby was highly positive for it.

“In terms of major differences, the big thing is how it is governed, and the financial controls that exist in both leagues. Obviously in Spain, we have the only set, currently, of forward looking controls in European football, and the Premier League is more aligned with what exists across the rest of Europe, which is a backward-looking financial system.”

“For us, after five years at Burnley, obviously the La Liga system is different, and we’re looking to learn better every single day. We really like the La Liga system, and it creates a much more sustainable picture for football going forward. It also reduces the uncertainty for us as owners, and that can only be a good thing as investors, it reduces the cost of uncertainty, which can be quite painful across other leagues. It’s a challenge we’re learning and enjoying.”

Espanyol are set for a second consecutive season in La Liga after Manolo Gonzalez’s side secured survival in the penultimate weekend. They still stand a minimal chance of qualifying for the Conference League. Looking ahead to next season, Los Pericos have already brought in legendary Sporting Director Monchi to oversee recruitment, and he is set to work with Burnley as well.

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