Ex-Brazil forward Pato joins Northampton board after takeover

Former Brazil and AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato has joined the board of Northampton Town after a consortium including the retired footballer completed its takeover of the English League Two club.

According to the BBC, Sports Alpha Capital (SAC), which includes Pato among its investors, has completed the takeover after its proposed deal was approved by the Independent Football Regulator and English Football League earlier this month.

SAC will take a 70% shareholding in Northampton Town Ventures Limited, the company that owns the majority of shares in the club, while existing owners David Bower, Nigel Le Quesne and Kelvin Thomas will collectively retain 30%.

Pato is set to become a director on the Northampton board alongside SAC representatives Joao Xavier and Tim Chamberlain, who will serve as co-chairmen.

The takeover will also leave Northampton debt-free after the club reported a pre-tax loss of just under £3m in April 2026.

Pato, 37, was named by SAC as one of its investors alongside Gemcorp Capital, a London-based independent investment management firm.

The former Brazil international and his fellow investors attended Northampton’s 1-0 League Two win over Newport County on September 5.

Pato retired from professional football last year and is best known for his five-and-a-half-year spell at AC Milan, where he scored 63 goals in 150 appearances and won the Serie A title in the 2010-11 season.

He was capped 27 times by Brazil and also had spells with Chelsea, Villarreal, Corinthians and other clubs during his playing career.

The takeover marks a new role in football for Pato, who moves into club ownership and administration after ending his playing career.

Northampton confirmed that former chairman Thomas will step down after more than a decade in the role, although he will remain a shareholder and director alongside Bower and Le Quesne.

Thomas, who led the takeover of the Cobblers when they faced a winding-up petition in 2015, said it had been “an enormous privilege” to lead the club.

Chief executive James Whiting and supporters’ representative Tom Cliffe will remain on the board, while Jim Rosenthal and Mike Wailing will step down as directors and become associate directors.

Northampton’s new co-chairmen Xavier and Chamberlain said the consortium had “ambitious plans” for the club but stressed the importance of sustainability and maintaining its relationship with supporters and the local community.

“We have ambitious plans for Northampton Town, but ambition must go hand in hand with sustainability and an understanding of what the club means to the people of Northampton and Northamptonshire,” they said.

Northampton were relegated to League Two last season after finishing bottom of League One and appointed Chris Hogg as manager in May.

The Cobblers, who brought in 13 players during the summer transfer window, are currently 22nd in League Two, two points above the bottom of the table.

The new owners said further details of their plans for Northampton would be announced in due course.