Alexandre Pato Joins Northampton Town as Investor

Alexandre Pato is set for an unlikely new chapter in English football – as an investor in Northampton Town.

The League Two club have confirmed they have reached agreement with a consortium that includes the former AC Milan, Chelsea and Brazil forward over a proposed shareholding acquisition.

The group, Sports Alpha Capital (SAC), had their deal cleared by both the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the English Football League (EFL) earlier this month, removing the biggest regulatory hurdle. Northampton say they expect to be “in a position to confirm completion of the process” next week.

The finish line is close, but not quite crossed.

“Football club transactions always have many moving parts and often take a little longer than you would hope, but we are thrilled to be moving forward,” chairman Kelvin Thomas said, welcoming the progress as the club edges towards a new ownership structure.

Joao Xavier, founding partner at SAC, struck a similar tone, stressing the significance of the latest step after the green light from the authorities.

“We are very happy to have reached formal agreements. Obviously obtaining IFR and EFL approvals was a big step, but this is also a very important milestone, and we look forward to closing next week,” he said.

SAC are not new to the English lower-league landscape. Earlier this year, they held talks over a possible takeover of Colchester United, only to walk away after initial discussions. This time, the talks have advanced far enough to secure formal approval and public confirmation from Northampton.

The exact size of SAC’s proposed shareholding in the Cobblers has not been disclosed, leaving questions over the scale of their influence once the deal goes through. What is clear is that Pato is one of the investors involved.

SAC list the 37-year-old as an investor alongside Gemcorp Capital, a London-based independent investment management firm. For a club more accustomed to the grind of League Two than to global star power, the association with a former Brazil international is a striking twist.

Pato retired from playing last year, closing a career that took him from Brazil to Europe and back again. He is most fondly remembered for his five-and-a-half-year spell at AC Milan, where he scored 63 goals in 150 matches and lifted the Serie A title in the 2010-11 season.

Now his name is poised to appear not on a teamsheet, but on the shareholder register at Sixfields. How much that changes Northampton’s future – on and off the pitch – will become clearer once the ink finally dries next week.