West Ham director and co-owner Tripp Smith is to step down from the Blackstone group this Summer.
American Smith was instrumental in building out Blackstone Group LP’s biggest business as a co-founder of GSO Capital Partners, however, the senior managing director is now leaving the company he helped to found. The investment group manages over $434 billion worth of assets.
The 52-year-old who now lives in the Docklands says he wants to pursue other opportunities but will remain with GSO until the end of June, according to an internal memo.
“After 13 years with GSO, my co‐founder and great friend, Tripp Smith, has decided to leave,” Goodman wrote in the memo leaked to the financial press.
“Tripp has been instrumental in building GSO into one of the largest and most successful credit investment platforms in the world.”
Blackstone has previously worked closely Microsoft whose co-founder Paul Allen was linked in a rumour yesterday about a possible takeover. Blackstone also purchased Microsoft’s European headquarters in Dublin in another link between the two organisations.
Hammers insiders strongly denied any approach from Allen yesterday saying the club is not for sale however it would be interesting to understand what Smith’s plans are after June and whether he could potentially spearhead a future takeover bid. Smith purchased 10% of West Ham in September 2017 and loaned the club £9.5m interest-free which is only repayable on change of ownership of the club.
I hope we get bought out by this bloke along with the Microsoft bloke, and the board should reduce the asking price of the club by however much it will cost to reconstruct the stadium to be how we were promised it would be, with fans as close to the pitch as at Upton Park.
I’m not sure that we can reconstruct something we do not own. If it is allowed then I’ll have a extension on my house please.
Couldn’t agree more Brendan get this lot out asp and we can become a top side . Ruining this club over selfish needs of more money for themselves now is the time to force them out and pay thier taxes on their lies. Also take moyes out with them or sooner would be great too and get a young quality coach in to buy quality players not hugil and evra and Mario on loan for cheapness.
Quality players? how would a team fifth from bottom attract quality players? Our fans live in dreamland
Yep but it will never happen. G&S are too stubborn and don’t want to risk losing a penny by selling the club too soon. And they claim not to be in it for the money!?
Amazing how this bloke, who has absolutely NO affinity to West Ham, can loan the club £9mill interest free, yet those ‘lifelong fans’ Sullivan and Gold insist that they MUST charge interest.
How skint ARE they?
Parasites and asset-strippers of the highest order, even Stevie Wonder could see how the 2 of them and their pet Rottweiler are ruining the club.
You know what ‘Mary’ no multi million £ financial investor gives away nearly £10 million – we are gonna have a look at this in more depth.
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Certainly seems to have the business acumen and real hard core cash that’s needed to be invested in the club ….I’ve nothing against sullivan and gold but they just haven’t got the money needed to push us on ….time will tell, but this seems a no brainer…..
business acumen? no sorry, hugh is right. no one with any business acumen gives away millions at nil percent. that in real terms because of inflation means he is actually making a big loss on his so called ‘investment’ so whats the real story here? whats really going on? a lot of sources talking about american interests in our club in one way or another at the moment. i wouldnt be surprised if there were a few back hand deals going on. a bit of palm greasing here and there.
He’s not really ‘given it away’ though has he, he’s ‘loaned’ the money to the club.
Perhaps he’s a bigger fan than the 2 Daves as he’s doing it at 0% as opposed to our lot ‘only’ charging 4%.
Agree though that there does appear to be something going on.
yes he is giving money away lending at zero percent interest. thats because inflation has been at 3 percent. inflation would therefore be eroding money lent at 0 percent by 3 percent a year. so his investment in real terms is devaluing by minus 3 percent per year. ‘our lot’ lending at 4 percent are only therefore making a measly 1 percent a year return on their money, and frankly could make much more of a profit investing their money elsewhere.