A new Spurs takeover claim is a major blow for West Ham after Qatari links following an alleged meeting with Daniel Levy.
There has been much speculation over a potential West Ham takeover in the coming months.
It centres around the expiration of an embarrassment clause in West Ham’s deal with the LLDC as anchor tenants of the former Olympic Stadium, which the club famously fought bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur over.
The clause means West Ham must pay a windfall tax to the LLDC should they be taken over before April 2023.
Speculation has mounted for years that David Sullivan will sell up beyond that point.
After losing out on the London 2012 arena in Stratford to West Ham, Spurs went ahead and built one of the best stadiums in the world.
There was confirmation that mega rich Qataris had been buying up land and buildings around the Olympic Stadium, leading to suggestions West Ham were being primed for a future takeover.
Back in 2016, The Daily Mail claimed that West Ham were being primed for a takeover by the Qatar Investment Authority – who already owned the Olympic village. The same report said Spurs were also on the radar for Qatar ownership.
Hassan Al-Thawadi, leader of Qatar’s 2022 organising committee, said: “I can see it happening down the road. It’s likely. There’s such a passion for football and the Premier League in particular. Everyone on the street has an opinion.”
Well now there has been a huge development on that front and it is bad news for West Ham and potentially game-changing for Tottenham.
A new Spurs takeover claim is a major blow for West Ham after Qatari links following a meeting with Daniel Levy.
According to an exclusive from CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, Qatar Sports Investments – who own PSG – are in talks with Premier League clubs to pursue initial minority investment this year. And they have already started talks with Tottenham.
“Qatar Sports Investments are ramping up efforts to find another team to minority-invest in this year,” Jacobs reports.
“They’re actively talking to EPL clubs, including Tottenham.
“Nasser Al-Khelaifi met with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy earlier this week to hold an exploratory meeting…
“Talks with Spurs are still formative and it is unclear how they may progress. QSI are still assessing multiple clubs to kick off an ambitious year, but what is clear is that the Premier League is of significant appeal to them.
“QSI have not held any talks to date with Liverpool, who are also available on the market and open to minority investment or an outright sale.”
It is clear West Ham need the kind of investment the Qataris can deliver if they truly ever want to challenge the elite. Whether some fans would welcome that on moral grounds is another matter altogether.
The fact Spurs are at the front of the queue is a massive worry for the Hammers.
West Ham appear ripe for a takeover given the circumstances with the expiration of the clause, the sad passing of co-owner David Gold and talk Daniel Kretinsky is not interested in full ownership.
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