Former Chelsea star set to buy League Two club

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FT Desk

A former Chelsea and Milan star is on the cusp of leading a consortium's takeover of League Two side Northampton Town.

The Cobblers won promotion to League One in 2020 after beating Exeter City 4-0 in the play-off final, but their stay in the third tier lasted only one season as they were relegated in 2021. They then came close to promotion again in 2022 before finally returning to League One in 2023, finishing third in League Two.

Since then, Northampton have faced another difficult period. They finished 14th in League One in 2023-24, before narrowly avoiding relegation in 2024-25. The following season proved tougher, with the club eventually dropping back into League Two in 2026.

The man looking to change the club's fortunes is Alexandre Pato, who is part of Sports Alpha Capital, the consortium that came close to buying Colchester United last year.

In a lengthy statement, Northampton chairman Kelvin Thomas confirmed: "This has been a detailed and rigorous process, involving significant scrutiny of the proposed investment, the ownership structure, financial sustainability, and the suitability and financial standing of those involved.

"The successful completion of both the IFR and EFL processes represents an important milestone for the club and should provide supporters and stakeholders with further confidence in the proposed investment and the foundations being put in place for the club's future.

"We would like to thank both the EFL and the IFR for their professionalism, diligence and thoroughness throughout their respective processes.

"As supporters will see from their varied backgrounds, there is a genuine passion for football within the group. A number of the investors have already visited Northampton, spent time at the club and attended matches.

"They will bring a strong blend of football, corporate and financial expertise to the club and with significant Brazilian representation within the group we also hope they might bring a little Brazilian excitement and flair with them.

"Now the regulatory processes have been completed we move towards completing the remaining documentation and finalising the investment. Full details regarding the investment, structure and the principal investors involved will be announced upon completion.

"We thank the fans for their patience, but it is reassuring that these in-depth processes are in place for football."

Once considered one of the best wonderkids in world football, Pato started his career at Internacional before a high-profile move to Milan where he was considered the heir apparent to his compatriot, Kaka.

He didn't hit the heights that were perhaps expected him and he ended up having a nomadic career that included spells at Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Chelsea, Villarreal, Tianjin Tianhai, Orlando City and Sao Paulo on two more occasions.

He retired in 2023.

Pato regrets failed Chelsea move

Pato previously admitted that he regrets moving to Chelsea in 2016.

In an interview with The Players' Tribune, Pato said: "You know why I played so much better at Sao Paulo? They looked after me properly. There I just had to play. But when Chelsea called me, I was still dreaming of Europe. Unfortunately, I paid the price again for being overprotected.

"I still didn’t get it. I thought that Chelsea would loan me for six months and then I’d sign for three years. I didn’t realise that they could say no after the loan. Had I known? I would have gone elsewhere. It was a pity, because I was training really well, and the coach only played me twice. I never understood why."

Despite scoring on his Chelsea debut in a 4-0 rout away at Villa Park, Pato made just one more appearance during his spell at the club - a start against Swansea a week after his goal against Aston Villa.

At the time, Diego Costa was Chelsea's main man through the middle, with Guus Hiddink favouring the former Atletico Madrid star over Pato. Furthermore, the likes of Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao were also competing with Pato for minutes on the pitch.

After Chelsea decided against signing Pato on a permanent deal, he returned to Corinthians before joining Villarreal a month later.