Cottee attacked for backing PAI takeover bid
The Mail’s top sportswriter reckons that Cottee doesn’t appear to have the club’s best interests at heart in backing “a disruptive takeover campaign by Azerbaijani venture capitalists, just at the time when his club are making progress?”
Cottee has become PAI Capital’s new front man after a disastrous media campaign by the group and admitted in a CandH interview that whilst he has received no money he will have a role should the takeover prove successful.
Samuel isn’t impressed with any of that and makes it clear raising a bitter attack on the Hammers former goal scoring hero.
In his latest column he says: “The atmosphere at the London Stadium on Monday was magnificent, arguably the best it has been.
“What sort of West Ham fan wishes to derail that? West Ham is Cottee’s club, and the fans like him. It does not help, however, that he talks as if a PAI Capital takeover would be a good development for him, financially, too.
Cottee also says he enjoyed ‘detailed discussions’ with PAI lately. So can he shed light on any big decisions, like how much money they have got or what they plan to do with the club if they get through the door? Apparently not. Some liaison.
So all there is to go on is consortium member Phil Beard’s vision of the future. Beard, the architect of modern Queens Park Rangers, said that the more money PAI needed to spend buying the club, the less it would have to buy players.
In other words, PAI will be using West Ham’s transfer budget to purchase West Ham. The liaison can no doubt fill the fans in on how fabulously that works, once the cheque clears.”
Little more has been heard from PAI since TC appeared on the scene immediately launching a series of interviews and nothing has so far been heard of the second bid which was apparently due last week.