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West Ham co-owner Daniel Kretinsky is set to spend big on two French deals according to new reports this week.
One week after landing a £1bn 15-year mega deal to provide back-up energy supply to the National Grid in the UK, West Ham’s Czech billionaire co-owner Kretinsky is said to be on the verge of further expanding his growing portfolio of investments.
Kretinsky became West Ham’s second biggest stakeholder behind David Sullivan when he purchased 27 per cent of the club in November 2021.
Kretinsky has repeatedly been linked with an eventual full takeover of West Ham (The Evening Standard). And there has been speculation for years that Sullivan and the Gold family would sell their stakes in the Hammers in 2023.
The businessman has stakes in a host of big businesses such as Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s. But the bulk of his estimated £4bn plus wealth is built on his involvement in energy.
Speculation continues to swirl over Kretinsky’s intentions at West Ham.
Renowned for owning chunks of companies as part of his investment portfolio, there have been doubts over whether he ever intends to launch a full takeover of the Hammers.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire recently cast doubt on Kretinsky doing that in an interview with Hammers News.
But West Ham co-owner Kretinsky is set to spend big on two French deals for his growing portfolio of investments.
French technology consultancy Atos is in talks with Kretinsky about the possible sale of its Tech Foundations business, Reuters reports.
And shares in French retailer Fnac Darty rose sharply after a media report claimed Kretinsky was ready to buy the 24 per cent stake in the company held by top shareholder Ceconomy.
“Kretinsky, who built one of Europe’s largest energy groups through more than a decade of deals, has been diversifying and scouring retail, media and other areas for investments,” Reuters reports.
The new moves continue the West Ham co-owner’s growing activity across The Channel.
Hammers News reported back in October last year that Kretinsky had launched a series of big money French media moves after buying £37m castle near Paris.
It remains to be seen what his long-term intentions are with West Ham.
But answers are expected one way or another this summer following the expiration of the embarrassment clause in West Ham’s London Stadium anchor tenancy deal with the LLDC at the end of this month.
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