Amanda Staveley has reportedly escalated her attempt to invest in West Ham United by making an offer for David Sullivan’s entire shareholding.
Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners consortium had already agreed a deal worth around £150million to buy the Gold family’s 25.1 per cent stake.
Daniel Kretinsky has since moved to prevent that transaction. The Times reports that the Czech billionaire is reducing his current holding below 25 per cent, allowing him to pursue the Gold shares without taking his overall stake above 50 per cent.
That could have blocked Staveley’s route into West Ham.
Instead, the battle appears to have escalated again.
Amanda Staveley now targets David Sullivan’s West Ham shares
Henry Winter reports via The Football Boardroom that PCP has made Sullivan the same offer it made to the Gold family, valuing 100 per cent of West Ham at approximately £600million.
Sullivan currently owns 38.8 per cent of the club despite resigning from his board positions earlier this summer.
The Sun reports that Staveley’s consortium has offered to purchase that entire holding, potentially creating a route towards outright control.
If PCP ultimately bought both Sullivan’s 38.8 per cent and the Gold family’s 25.1 per cent, the consortium would control approximately 63.9 per cent of West Ham.
That is a very different proposition from simply becoming another minority shareholder.
ReadWestHam previously examined how Sullivan’s willingness to sell could completely reshape the club’s ownership. What looked hypothetical earlier in the summer now appears considerably more relevant.
Kretinsky and Staveley battle could decide West Ham control
Kretinsky is not standing aside.
His response to Staveley’s Gold agreement shows how seriously he views the prospect of her gaining influence at the London Stadium.
Existing West Ham shareholders have pre-emption rights over the Gold shares, meaning Staveley cannot simply complete her agreed purchase without the current investors first having an opportunity to act.
Kretinsky’s plan to lower his stake before attempting to acquire the Gold holding is designed around those rules.
However, targeting Sullivan potentially gives Staveley another route towards becoming West Ham’s dominant shareholder.
Neither outcome is settled and several legal, financial and shareholder processes remain before the ownership picture becomes clear.
For supporters, speed now matters almost as much as the eventual winner.
West Ham are trying to build a squad capable of immediately returning to the Premier League while control of the club remains uncertain. The rebuild continues regardless, with ReadWestHam reporting on Tuesday that academy graduate Freddie Potts has completed his permanent departure.
Kretinsky appeared positioned to become West Ham’s dominant figure only weeks ago.
Staveley has now made clear that she has no intention of quietly disappearing from the contest.
