Former NFL superstar JJ Watt has expanded his footprint in European football after Velocity Sport Limited (VSL) completed the takeover of La Liga side Espanyol on Thursday. The Spanish club now becomes the second team under VSL’s ownership after Premier League club Burnley, where Watt is a minority investor.
The announcement marks a new chapter for Espanyol, long considered rivals to Barcelona. The club confirmed earlier that an agreement had been reached for VSL, led by American businessman Alan Pace, to take over from China’s Rastar Group as the majority shareholder.
Shortly after the deal was finalized, Watt celebrated the news with a message on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, posting in Catalan:
“Oficialment oficial. Som els Pericos. Posem fil a l’agulla!” — which translates to “Officially official. We are the Pericos. Let’s get to work!”
The 36-year-old athlete, who attended Espanyol’s opening weekend victory over Atletico Madrid in August, also shared the message in Spanish, signaling his eagerness to connect with the club’s fans.
Alan Pace, who also serves as Burnley’s chairman, emphasized that the two clubs will remain independent despite being under the same ownership structure.
“Football has always belonged to its people,” said Pace. “Our role is not to replace legacy, but to build upon it with care, clarity, and purpose. Burnley will remain Burnley, and Espanyol will remain Espanyol. Each club will retain its own leadership, identity, and independence.”
Pace expressed his appreciation to the outgoing owners, adding:
“I would also like to thank Chen Yansheng and the Rastar Group for their stewardship of RCD Espanyol. Their hard work has laid a strong foundation, and we look forward to building upon it to take the club to the next level.”
Under Rastar’s nine-year ownership, Espanyol experienced both relegation and revival, returning to La Liga in 2024. The club managed to avoid relegation last season and currently sits ninth in the league with 12 points from eight matches ahead of their fixture against Real Oviedo next week.
VSL’s acquisition of Espanyol adds Burnley to the growing list of Premier League teams involved in multi-club ownership, a trend seen with Manchester City’s City Football Group, which owns 13 clubs globally.
While Espanyol’s prospects appear bright, Burnley has had a slow start to their Premier League return, sitting 18th in the table after failing to win in their last five matches. They face Leeds United at Turf Moor next weekend in a must-win clash for both promoted sides.
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