Partner Rather Than Takeover On Cards as Staveley Ponders West Ham Bid

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

Daniel Kretinsky has clearly played the long game whilst waiting to make his move to buy West Ham.

Having had his fingers burnt by David Sullivan with the Tim Steidten affair, the Czech billionaire has sat back and waited for his time to pounce. All the while, behind the scenes, Kretinsky has done his due diligence on the accounting, stadium upgrades and the training ground.

Theses are not the actions of someone looking to immediately flip the club in my opinion. And that is why I don’t believe that he will sell his shares to Amanda Staveley as some have suggested.

As a potential West Ham buyer, Staveley’s ambition may not be to buy the football club in its entirety, as is being rumoured.

Clearly, there is some ambition on her part.

Her presence at the London Stadium at the start of the week has been confirmed by many, and her refusal to rule out investment in Thursday’s interview only added to those suspicions.

A Partner Rather Than An Owner?

But if anything is going to happen, it would surely be as a partner to Daniel Kretinsky rather than taking full control of the football club.

Personally, I would welcome her involvement.

Staveley has a level of footballing expertise from her time helping take over Newcastle United and brokering the Manchester City takeover.

She clearly has football knowledge behind her and would probably complement the areas where Kretinsky is weakest.

It could prove to be a very powerful combination.

The Stumbling Block Remains The Same

As ever, I would imagine the stumbling block is David Sullivan.

Any fresh investment or changes to the ownership structure ultimately depend on resolving his position and shareholding.

And that has proven to be easier said than done.

Time Is Not On West Ham’s Side

But whatever happens, it needs to happen quickly.

As things stand, West Ham are already falling behind in their preparations for next season.

There is still a Director of Football to appoint, a squad to shape and decisions to make over players both coming and going.

If there are to be further changes in ownership or investment, they need to happen sooner rather than later.

Because whilst optimism around the club is understandable, promotion back to the Premier League won’t wait for anybody.