(Football news) Daniel Kretinsky, the owner of Sparta Prague is in advanced talks to purchase a 27% stake in Premier League club West Ham United, which could eventually lead to a full takeover in the future. The transaction could be confirmed as early as the first weekend of November when West Ham welcome Liverpool to the London Stadium.
The Czech billionaire has stakes in the likes of Royal Mail, J Sainsbury and multiple reports have suggested that the deal to purchase 27% stake in West Ham will include an option to take full control of the club after a period of time. After Kretinsky’s purchase, West Ham’s valuation is set to increase to £600m – £700m.
If Daniel Kretinsky does eventually take over West Ham United, it would mark the end of David Gold and David Sullivan’s decade old control of the club, having purchased the Premier League side in 2010. The current owners have already rejected two offers to sell the club to private equity firm PAI Capital and also turned down offers from a US consortium last year.
The club have already announced an expansion of the London Stadium which would make it bigger than Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and if Kretinsky does purchase a stake in the club, David Moyes will have a substantially improved transfer kitty for January. West Ham are already in the top four of the Premier League after nine games and have defeated both the Manchester clubs in the Carabao Cup so far.
Sullivan and Gold are expected to maintain majority stake at the club until at least March 2023, after which they would not have to share the profits from a possible sale to London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which owns the London Stadium. The stadium is a tax-payer funded ground that is being rented for £2.5m and received permission for an expansion of 2,500 seats this week.
When asked about a possible deal, West Ham manager David Moyes said “I do not know any more than you know but it sounds as if something is happening, yes. I've had the feelgood factor here for over 12 months, ever since we got rid of the feeling that there was a chance of relegation. I think we've blossomed, and we've all become much better. I think it's probably been hanging over West Ham for a couple of seasons, maybe longer, and I think we are feeling much better than that. We feel like we can be a side who can be different, a side who can be competitive in the league and hopefully in the cup competitions as well.”
The Hammers will face Aston Villa this weekend with the likes of Declan Rice and Michail Antonio available for selection after being rested in the midweek fixture against Manchester City. Ben Johnson is expected to retain his place in the starting XI despite Vladimir Coufal returning from a groin injury.
