Opportunities to invest in British premier league football clubs are expected to become extremely thin on the ground after the disastrous performance of many of them on the London stock market. Ten of the British clubs are now quoted on the London exchange. But many analysts believe that some previously considered as prime candidates for flotation such as Everton, Arsenal and Liverpool are now unlikely to change their status and list on the market because of the wretched share performance.

The British stock market has not generally been good for football investors. Many have seen the value of their holdings fall sharply over the past 12 to 18 months as most of the Premier League quoted clubs have recorded big declines in their share prices. Some analysts suggest that the expected fall off in the number of clubs now taking that route may in fact herald a series of takeovers.