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West Ham’s new board member Daniel Kretinsky has an option in his 27% stake agreement to take over the club fully, according to reports.
Kretinsky, who owns Czech club Sparta Prague, and his colleague Pavel Horsky have been appointed to the board at the London Stadium. His stake has elevated him to a position in the boardroom. He joins joint-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold and vice-chair Karren Brady.
Kretinsky’s cash injection is believed to be around £200m, according to the Daily Express, will help lower the club’s debt, while David Moyes will be hoping for some funds to strengthen his squad.
But Kretinsky, who is the largest Royal Mail shareholder, has designs on a full takeover of the Hammers. Talks between West Ham and Kretinsky, who also has a stake in Sainsbury’s, have been ongoing for months.
The agreement he struck on Wednesday is understood to include an option for 1890s holdings a.s chairman Kretinsky to take over the club fully in the near future, according to the Daily Mail.
That would mean an end to the David Sullivan and David Gold era in east London.
Sullivan and Gold have completed their takeover of West Ham in 2010 from the club’s Icelandic owners. Sullivan told Sky Sports that the club was in a “serious mess”. And that they would not have stepped anywhere near Upton Park had they not been fans.
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Full takeover doubts
At 72, and 85 years-old respectively Sullivan and Gold would be forgiven for calling time on the club.
However, Daily Star journalist Paul Brown is unsure how a full takeover could be exercised with regards to the existing deal.
“We are told that he is serious about one day owning the club in full,” Smith told Give Me Sport.
“The problem there is that even though there does appear to be an option in the deal. Nobody knows how that option could be activated.
“While the option may be there and we are told he’s serious about being West Ham’s owner at some point. It doesn’t seem like that’s a massive priority for him in the short-term.”
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