Why Amanda Staveley left Newcastle Utd as West Ham takeover eyed | OneFootball

The former Magpies stakeholder has been linked with a takeover in East London

West Ham United's relegation from the Premier League to the Championship means that plenty of change is likely to occur, both on and off the pitch, at the London Stadium ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

The upcoming season will be the first the Hammers have played in the league in 14 years, and also the first time that their 62,500-seater stadium will have hosted Championship football, a decade on from the club's well-documented move from the old-fashioned and hostile Upton Park.

Nuno Espírito Santo's side have already been tipped as the early-season promotion favourites by many outsiders, with the Portuguese confirming that he would stay on as head coach after initial exit fear, meaning there is a chance he could add a second promotion from the second tier to his CV in 11 months' time after previously winning the division in 2017/18 with Wolves.

Whilst that is very much the case, it does remain to be seen how the squad at Nuno's disposal will look for the opening weekend of the Championship season in just under two months, with several high-profile names already linked with departures amid claims that the Irons need to generate in excess of £100m to address the financial shortcomings which are associated with relegation.

Such developments are also likely to coincide with a plethora of changes to the hierarchy at the London Stadium, with Daniel Křetínský looking to take majority control of the club following the resignation of former co-owner, David Sullivan, earlier this month.

However, another name linked with a potential takeover is former Manchester City and Newcastle United stakeholder, Amanda Staveley.

The 53-year-old was a key figure when the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund plugged £305m worth of investment at St James' Park just under five years ago, although she would only last two-and-three-quarter years on Tyneside.

Why Amanda Staveley left Newcastle United as West Ham takeover links surface

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While Kretinsky has pledged that, if he gains majority control of the Hammers, to enhance the experience at the London Stadium for supporters, Staveley dropped a hint to Spear's on whether she would be interested in plotting her own bid, stating: "Maybe. I don't know."

During her time as a 10 percent stakeholder, with the figure, over time, dropping to six percent, at Newcastle, the Magpies' fortunes were transformed, and in her final season at the club, Eddie Howe's side had been involved in the UEFA Champions League after a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

But, upon her resignation in July 2024, Staveley told the Athletic: “One of the things we loved when we first took over was that we did pretty much every job.

“There just weren’t any staff so we were doing the commercial stuff, the director of football stuff, the buying, PR, fan engagement. We were doing the role of the chief executive and the Premier League stuff, constantly fighting while trying to build a relationship with other clubs.

“It was exhausting but you put everything into it because that was what it needed and it was what the fans deserved. And I feel bad because Lexi (Alexander), my wonderful son, suffered for three years because he didn’t get the attention he should have had, although he now loves Newcastle as much as we do," Staveley explained.

“As we grew, we brought in an executive team and Darren Eales (the chief executive), but we were very much at the coalface because Newcastle was still under-resourced. As the club continues to expand it needs a management team that can be left to do their jobs. I’ve read on social media that there’s been some kind of fallout but that’s rubbish. I love my colleagues. It just became unfair for us to constantly be there.”

Amanda Staveley would have plenty of work to do at West Ham if a takeover move is successful

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At present, it still remains to be seen whether Staveley will ramp up her interest in the London club, but if she is to be successful in a takeover pursuit, the truth of the matter is that, in the early period, she could be facing just as intense a job, if not more, due to the pressure on the club to bring instant success in terms of promotion next season.

Simon Jordan, formerly the chairman of Crystal Palace, has already questioned such takeover discourse, but that could also fuel the businesswoman with extra motivation to come in and succeed in a similar way to what was achieved in such a short period of time in the North East.