Brighton owner Tony Bloom sends warning to Rangers and Celtic after £9.9m move

Tony Bloom believes Hearts are equipped to “disrupt” the Scottish football landscape after his investment in the Edinburgh club was formally completed. The Brighton owner has ploughed £9.86million into the Jambos in return for a 29 per cent stake in non-voting shares.

As part of the deal, Bloom is entitled to one seat on the Hearts board as a non-executive director and he has appointed James Franks, a legal and strategic business consultant with whom he has worked closely for almost two decades, to the role on his behalf.

The English businessman is confident Hearts – who also have a partnership with his data analysis firm, Jamestown Analytics – can ruffle feathers within Scottish football at a time when no club outside Celtic and Rangers have won the top-flight league title for the past 40 years.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be investing in Hearts,” Bloom told Hearts’ website. “I firmly believe in the club’s ability to disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football which has been in place for far too long. This great club has a bright future and I look forward to seeing that unfold in the months and years ahead. The appointment of James as my representative on the board underlines the importance I attach to my investment in the club.

“James has been a trusted associate of mine for many years and I believe that his wealth of experience in the football industry and strong business acumen will be a tremendous asset to the board and to the club.”

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Chief executive Andrew McKinlay welcomed the culmination of a deal which has been in the pipeline for more than a year.

“It is with great pleasure that I can now, on behalf of everyone at Heart of Midlothian, officially welcome both Tony and James to the club,” he said. “Today’s announcement is the culmination of our fans’ belief and support, and I thank them for their backing. When Tony’s investment proposal became public in May, it captured the imaginations of our supporters, as demonstrated by Foundation of Hearts members voting 98.5 per cent in favour of it.

“A tremendous amount of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to turn a proposal into a reality and I’d like to thank everyone involved for delivering what is a hugely significant moment in this club’s history.

“Again, I speak on behalf of everyone at Hearts when I say we are eagerly anticipating working with Tony and James as we embark on this journey together.”

Franks added: “I am honoured to become a board member at Hearts. From my first visit to Tynecastle in March 2024 as the initial step in the investment process, it was obvious to me just how special the club is.

“All of my subsequent visits and my interactions with the management team at the club and with the Foundation of Hearts have strengthened that feeling and I’m proud now to call myself a Jambo. I welcome the opportunity to play my part in an exciting new chapter in the history of this wonderful club.”

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