Tottenham Hotspur's "desire" to keep Manager Mauricio Pochettino out of "the clutches of his growing list of suitors could be boosted by Jeff Moorad's attempt to secure finance to invest in the club," according to Matt Law of the London TELEGRAPH. Former American sports agent Moorad has held discussions with Tottenham Chair Daniel Levy "over his interest in putting money into the club" and appointed a U.K.-based adviser to help him. Moorad has sought "extra backing from China and elsewhere," and sources in America even claim a term sheet has been signed over a proposal, "although that remains unconfirmed." Moorad, who is the former minority owner of both the MLB Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, has "refused to comment on his interest in Spurs and it is unknown whether he is looking at a deal" to finance the £400M ($566M) new stadium or "whether he wants to buy a stake in the club." Tottenham Owner Joe Lewis puts the total value of the club, plus the new stadium, at around £800M ($1.13B) and Moorad "does not have the personal wealth to launch a full takeover bid on his own." But the promise of "major investment" from Moorad, and possibly Chinese backers, would be a "boost to Spurs and could also help to convince Pochettino to sign a new contract extension and ignore interest" from ManU and overseas clubs (TELEGRAPH, 4/14).
