Former Brazil international Alexandre Pato has taken on a new role in English football after joining the board of Northampton Town following the completion of the League Two club’s takeover by Sports Alpha Capital (SAC).
Pato, 37, is among the investors in SAC and will now serve as a director on the Northampton Town board as the club begins a new chapter under its new ownership.
The takeover gives SAC a 70 per cent shareholding in Northampton Town Ventures Limited, the company that owns the majority of the shares in Northampton Town. Existing owners David Bower, Nigel Le Quesne and Kelvin Thomas will retain a combined 30 per cent stake.
The transaction had earlier received approval from the Independent Football Regulator and the English Football League before its completion was confirmed on Wednesday.
One of the immediate financial consequences of the takeover is that Northampton will become debt-free. The club had reported a pre-tax loss of just under £3 million in April, making the financial aspect of the new investment particularly significant.
Pato’s involvement represents a major change in direction for the former striker, who retired from professional football last year.
The Brazilian enjoyed the most productive period of his playing career at AC Milan, where he spent five and a half years and scored 63 goals in 150 appearances. He helped the Italian giants win the Serie A title during the 2010-11 season.
He also represented Brazil 27 times at senior international level and played for several other clubs during a career that included spells with Chelsea and Villarreal, as well as Brazilian sides Corinthians and São Paulo.
His move into club administration comes shortly after his retirement from playing and gives him an opportunity to remain involved in football from a different position.
Pato was already seen around Northampton before the takeover was completed. He and other SAC investors attended the club’s 1-0 League Two victory over Newport County on September 5.
That victory was particularly important for Northampton after a difficult previous campaign.
The Cobblers were relegated from League One last season after finishing at the bottom of the table, dropping into the fourth tier of English football.
Chris Hogg was appointed manager in May as the club prepared for life in League Two, while Northampton brought in 13 players during the summer transfer window, including striker Matty Warhurst from Manchester City.
The takeover has also brought significant changes to the club’s boardroom.
Kelvin Thomas, who has served as Northampton chairman for more than a decade, is stepping down from the chairmanship but will remain involved as a shareholder and director.
Sports Alpha Capital representatives Joao Xavier and Tim Chamberlain will become the club’s new co-chairmen.
Chief executive James Whiting and supporters’ representative Tom Cliffe will retain their positions on the board, while Jim Rosenthal and Mike Wailing will leave their positions as directors and become associate directors.
The new ownership group has stressed that its plans for Northampton will combine ambition with financial sustainability.
Xavier and Chamberlain said SAC wanted to work closely with supporters, staff, commercial partners, the club’s Community Trust and other local stakeholders as it develops Northampton both on and off the pitch.
The investors also described the takeover as the beginning of a long term commitment to the club rather than a short-term project.
For Northampton supporters, the arrival of new investment comes after a period of uncertainty both financially and competitively.
The club’s reported losses, relegation and need to rebuild its playing squad had created a challenging backdrop ahead of the takeover.
The confirmation that the club will emerge from the transaction debt-free provides an important financial foundation, although the new owners still face the sporting challenge of rebuilding Northampton’s position in the English football pyramid.
Pato’s presence also adds an international dimension to the ownership group.
His experience as a former Brazil international and Champions League-level player gives the consortium an investor with direct knowledge of elite football, although his role at Northampton will be focused on the club’s board and ownership structure rather than the pitch.
Sports Alpha Capital had previously been involved in discussions over a possible investment in Colchester United before those talks were abandoned.
The consortium eventually moved forward with Northampton, with the necessary regulatory approvals secured earlier this month before the final completion of the transaction.
The new owners have promised that more details about their plans for the Cobblers will be announced in due course.
For Pato, the move represents a new stage in a football journey that began as one of Brazil’s most highly regarded young forwards and took him to some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
He is now stepping into a very different part of the game, helping oversee the future of an English club attempting to recover from relegation and establish a more sustainable footing.
Northampton’s supporters will now wait to see how the new ownership group translates its stated ambitions into action, with Pato among the figures tasked with helping shape the club’s next chapter.
