Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has exclusively told Hammers News what he’s heard behind the scenes about a West Ham takeover.
Speculation has been rife in recent months about a potential takeover at West Ham.
Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky became West Ham’s second biggest stakeholder behind David Sullivan when he purchased 27 per cent of the club in November 2021.
Kretinsky has repeatedly been linked with an eventual full takeover of West Ham (The Evening Standard). And there has been speculation for years that Sullivan and the Gold family would sell their stakes in the Hammers in 2023.
Any sale by Sullivan and the Gold family before March 2023 would incur a cost as part of the embarrassment clause in the club’s anchor tenancy deal with the LLDC.
It was agreed that if Sullivan and the Gold family sold West Ham for more than £300million before that date, 20 per cent of any profit would go to the ground’s landlord, the London Legacy Development Corporation.
Here on Hammers News we suggested that a lack of serious investment in January – given that a costly relegation is a very real threat this season – was a sign Kretinsky has no interest in a full takeover of West Ham.
And that appears to be the case according to a leading voice on football finance.
Kieran Maguire is the author of The Price of Football books and co-presenter of the hugely popular The Price of Football podcasts.
And football finance expert Maguire has lifted the lid on what he’s heard behind the scenes about a West Ham takeover.
Maguire is well connected in the football world and delivered a telling update on the situation.
“There’s no enthusiasm from his (Kretinsky) camp for a full takeover from what I hear,” Maguire told Hammers News.
“West Ham also have David Sullivan wanting to keep it in the family, especially having had his loans repaid.”
Sullivan’s son’s Jack and Dave have been involved with the club in various roles previously while Gold’s daughters Vanessa and Jacqueline have also taken on their father’s shares following his sad passing.
The agreement Kretinsky has with Sullivan and the Gold family for a full takeover of West Ham is known as a ‘put and call’ option. Crucially that means its price does not vary in events such as relegation.
So suggestions it could be in Kretinsky’s interests for West Ham to go down – as it would effectively halve the club’s value – make no sense whatsoever.
There has been much talk about Financial Fair Play following an unprecedented January transfer window for Premier League clubs, particularly in light of Chelsea’s spending spree.
West Ham were recently named on a UEFA FFP watchlist. And Maguire explained what that means for West Ham.
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