Tim Leiweke, the American businessman who owns Venezia FC and invested €100m in the Serie A club earlier this year, has acquired a minority stake in Bolton Wanderers through a newly-formed investment vehicle.
Leiweke and his daughter Francesca Bodie, who serves as Venezia's president, joined forces with former Oak View Group executive Keegan McDonald to create Entrepreneur Equity Partners, the company used to purchase the stake in the League One club.
Bolton Wanderers, who earned promotion back to the Championship via the play-offs in May, had been on the brink of bankruptcy in 2019 before being rescued by current ownership. The club's remarkable recovery and upward trajectory attracted Leiweke's investment group.
"We will be bringing the best of what we have learnt as partners to many leading global teams to make Bolton Wanderers stronger than ever before," Leiweke said in a statement. "We are proud to join at this stage of this club's incredible journey."
The deal comes after Leiweke — who also counts rapper Drake among Venezia's co-owners — was reportedly blocked from acquiring a 16 percent stake in Portuguese giants Benfica. According to The Athletic, Benfica's board was reluctant to become part of a multi-club ownership model.
Leiweke's involvement in European football has steadily grown. In May 2026, he pumped €100m into Venezia following their promotion to Serie A, installing Bodie as president. The American had previously been involved in a controversial bidding process for a sports arena at the University of Texas, for which he received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.
The Bolton investment marks another step in Leiweke's expansion across European football, adding an English club to a portfolio that already includes a Serie A side. For Bolton, the injection of capital and expertise from the Leiweke family's network represents a significant vote of confidence in the club's long-term project under manager Steven Schumacher.
Sources
- https://football-italia.net/venezia-owner-leiweke-stake-bolton-wanderers/
