West Ham United have officially confirmed that Daniel Křetínský has reached an agreement to become the club’s single largest shareholder, bringing the long-running ownership battle with Amanda Staveley close to a conclusion.
Křetínský’s 1890s Holdings is set to increase its West Ham stake to 46 per cent, overtaking David Sullivan and putting the Czech billionaire at the centre of the club’s new power structure.
It follows the 46 per cent agreement reported on Thursday, but West Ham have now broken their silence on the deal.
In an official club statement, West Ham confirmed that Křetínský has agreed to acquire enough shares to become the club’s single largest shareholder.
However, the club also stressed that the transactions have not yet been completed.
That distinction matters.
Křetínský is therefore on course to hold 46 per cent rather than being formally registered at that figure already.
Daniel Křetínský set for bigger West Ham role
The agreement represents a major change in the West Ham ownership picture.
Vanessa Gold had previously reached a provisional agreement to sell the Gold family’s 25.1 per cent holding to a consortium led by Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
That triggered West Ham’s pre-emption process and gave existing shareholders the opportunity to acquire those shares first.
Křetínský has now emerged from that process in the strongest position.
Reuters reports that his stake will rise to 46 per cent, while Sullivan’s holding is set to increase to 40 per cent.
Gold has also indicated that Křetínský will take a more active role in decision-making at West Ham, potentially making the consequences of the deal more significant than the percentages alone.
The development effectively ends Staveley’s immediate attempt to buy into West Ham after she had appeared increasingly close to securing a major stake.
She was even spotted at London Stadium during the 4-2 win over Wolves earlier this week.
Instead, Křetínský now looks set to emerge as West Ham’s most influential shareholder.
Crucially, 46 per cent still does not make him a majority shareholder, as his stake would remain below 50 per cent.
The next significant moment will come when the outstanding transactions are completed and West Ham publish their updated ownership structure.
Until then, the agreement is confirmed, but the new shareholdings should not yet be treated as formally completed.
