Who is Woody Johnson? Controversial billionaire and Donald Trump's pal to buy Crystal Palace stake
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is set to buy a stake in Crystal Palace after afreeing a £190million deal with John Textor. Textor holds a 43 percent stake in the Eagles, though that has caused them problems with UEFA.
The American also controls Ligue 1 side Lyon, which has caused Palace to fall foul of UEFA's rules around multi-club ownership. Palace won the FA Cup this year and so qualified for the Europa League.
Lyon also booked their place in that competition by finishing sixth in the French top-flight. Textor has since been trying to sell the stake in the Premier League club and now appears to have found a buyer.
That comes in the form of the 78-year-old heir of the Johnson family that founded the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company. The deal is estimated to be worth £190m.
It is still subject to Premier League approval, though an agreement has been reached between the two sides. Palace fans are set to welcome a fresh investor, though his history at the New York Jets may cause some concern.
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Johnson bought the Jets in 2000 but they have endured an awful time since then. They have not featured in the NFL's play-offs for 14 years, double the length of any other drought in the league.
The Jets are currently on their eighth head coach since Johnson took control of the team. They finished with a 5-12 record last season, with only the New England Patriots having a worse record in their division.
Their campaign was marred by frequent reports of a split between Johnson and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was released at the end of the season. Aside from his time at the Jets, Johnson may be a familiar face to Premier League fans.
He is understood to have made a £2billion bid to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich back in 2022 but missed out to Todd Boehly. Johnson also spent four years as the United States' ambassador to the United Kingdom during Donald Trump's first spell as president.
He has known Trump for more than 30 years and acted as one of the Republican's six finance vice chairmen, responsible for an effort to raise $1billion on behalf of the first campaign. He then donated $1million to Trump's most recent bid for the presidency.
According to BBC Sport, Johnson indicated he can transfer the funds to buy Palace quickly, which is believed to have been a crucial factor in why his offer moved to the front of the queue.
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated Johnson's wealth at about £6.8bn in 2024. UEFA is expected to make a decision on whether Palace can participate in the Europa League by the end of June.
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