New West Ham takeover twist emerges involving Daniel Kretinsky | OneFootball

Amanda Staveley and Daniel Kretinsky are in a stand-off regarding the ownership of West Ham

Daniel Kretinsky is weighing up a potential move to block Amanda Staveley’s attempts to purchase a stake in West Ham.

According to The Times, the former Newcastle United minority shareholder has agreed a deal worth around £150 to 160 million to buy 25.1 percent of the Championship side.

The agreement has been reached between Staveley and Vanessa Gold, who controls the Gold family stake in the aftermath of David Gold’s death in 2023.

Per Football.London, Kretinsky had already agreed to buy a portion of the Gold family shares in the London outfit earlier this summer, which was set to make him the majority owner of the club at around 43 percent, but this is now in jeopardy.

He is instead considering all options as he looks to avoid the instability of Staveley potentially joining the ownership.

West Ham are preparing for the new Championship season after being relegated from the Premier League in the previous campaign.

Daniel Kretinsky considers all options amid Amanda Staveley West Ham interest

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According to this report from The Times, Kretinsky has sold two percent of his stake in West Ham to Czech businessman Jakub Havrlant in order to reduce his shares to 25 percent.

The Czech billionaire is looking to avoid owning more than 50 percent of the London outfit, as it’s understood that he could be compelled to buy David Sullivan’s shares at an overinflated cost in that event.

Kretinsky initially invested in the Hammers in November 2021, acquiring a 27 percent stake in the club. If his latest move pays off, he will become controlling owner.

Staveley has already agreed to buy the 25.1 percent stake owned by the Gold family, but the deal is subject to pre-emption rights, which gives the current owners the priority on any agreements.

However, if Kretinsky is unable or unwilling to use these pre-emption rights, then it’s been claimed that Staveley’s deal could go through within the next couple of days.

How West Ham fans feel about the takeover situation

West Ham fans have mixed views on the current takeover situation at the moment, with some suggesting that Kretinsky is showing a lack of ambition for his vision for the club.

Some supporters believe that Staveley could be the person to show that ambition if she can complete a deal to purchase Sullivan’s stake in the club.

Meanwhile, some fans are just tired of the circus surrounding the London Stadium, as they seek some stability at this time.

West Ham begin their league campaign on 16 August with a trip to face Burnley.

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West Ham ownership situation is getting quite messy

Kretinsky lined up his deal to buy a portion of the Gold family stake earlier this summer, but now he quickly has to manoeuver his way out of this mess.

If he doesn’t want to bring Staveley on board, then he will have to buy the 25.1 percent stake owned by the Gold family, rather than just some of it, which complicates the matter significantly.

While his end goal may be to own more than 50 percent, it’s understandable he may want to avoid that for now given the likely cost, especially as the first team squad still needs to be invested in.

West Ham have yet to make any major signings this summer, and these issues behind the scenes is likely playing a major role in that.