By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
If Amanda Staveley is looking to buy into West Ham, she’s doing it for one reason and one reason only: money.
I don’t doubt that, having brokered Abu Dhabi’s takeover of Manchester City and later played a key role in the purchase of Newcastle United, Staveley has developed a genuine affection for football. I’m sure she enjoys being involved in the game.
But let’s be fair. Had the opportunity arisen to take control at Tottenham Hotspur following Daniel Levy’s departure, she would have done so. It was only a statement from Spurs owner Joe Lewis and an insistence that the club would retain its shares which meant Staveley had to look elsewhere.
And, personally, I don’t mind one jot.
West Ham’s untapped value
If Staveley and her backers really do want to invest in West Ham, it won’t be out of sentiment.
It will be because they see the potential of a club with one of the country’s biggest fan bases, playing in a stadium surrounded by some of the most valuable regeneration land in London. It’s the very reason I suggested in my recent piece on Amanda Staveley’s growing interest in West Ham that there is far more to this story than a simple minority investment.
There’s gold in them there hills
Before committing the necessary funding, I’ve no doubt Staveley and her financial partners will have looked at West Ham in exactly the same way many other investors have over the years.
They’ll have seen a sleeping giant with enormous commercial potential. Add in the possibilities surrounding the London Stadium and the surrounding Stratford regeneration, and it’s not difficult to understand why investors continue to circle.
As far as they’re concerned, there’s gold in them there hills.
But before they’re able to quarry West Ham for the precious stuff, they’re going to have to make sure the club gets back into the Premier League.
For that reason, I don’t think there will be any time to waste in bolstering the squad.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I believe West Ham’s lack of activity in the transfer market so far this summer is probably down to the ownership situation we’re watching unfold right now. Likewise, the recent developments involving Staveley and the uncertainty surrounding Daniel Křetínský’s plans suggest there may be far more going on behind the scenes than supporters currently realise.
If a deal involving Staveley happens quickly, there won’t be any time to waste in bringing new players through the door.
The Championship season is a long one, but any club with aspirations of automatic promotion will know the importance of getting off to a fast start rather than spending the opening weeks playing catch-up.
That could be reason enough to welcome the emergence of another potential investor in the club, particularly if it finally kickstarts West Ham’s transfer business.
Our transfer business should not depend on Stavely , we have a board in place that should be making and approving transfers now. It’s poor management to wait when the best players will go to other clubs . So short sighted , it may or may not be a good thing in the long run but we need players right now!
Hmmmm. Howe quits Newcastle, Staveley wanting to buy into West Ham. Could it be bye bye Nuno?
chatting to my friends, we’re all getting bored of this ownership stuff.
Stavely and her crew are after one thing, profit.
No feeling, no history, nothing, just how much can they make.
not surprisingly the backers are property developers with Stratford the big prize.
As soon as she got what she wanted out of Newcastle she was gone.
Then we’ll have Sullivan and Stavely.
Great, this will end in tears.
I read on BBC Sport that the Staveley group are open to buying further shares that could make them majority shareholders.
Could this mean they buy some of Kretinskys, or wait to get Sullivans shares?
Interesting times in deed.
With the fanciful concept of automatic promotion everyone is basically saying pour money into the the club & buy experienced players and consequently do not develop the academy, yet club academy is key to the footballing future of the club and the time to develop them is right now. We need more players like Rice & Noble coming through from the academy, because no better way and the value they add, you can’t buy.
I’m sure NES/Mendes would agree.
I don’t think there’s any other club in the country with our potential. It’s mainly due to us: our enormous and loyal fanbase.
To be trawling behind the likes of Palace (who’ve depressingly now won trophies), Brighton, Fulham, Brentford, and Bournemouth is galling to say the least. All these clubs are typically lower-tier clubs that had shockingly low attendances when they were struggling.
I look at Villa with a lot of envy. Historically, they’re one of the most successful clubs in the country whilst we’ve typically had two bob self-interested unambitious owners that have held the club back apart from sporadic glory spells.
Fanbase-wise we at least match Villa or possibly even surpass them. We should be achieving the same heights they’ve reached and continue to do so.
I hope new investors will give us a realistic chance of being successful which our enormous and loyal fanbase richly deserves.
We will still be a Championship club Gonzo and it would ne foolish to think we will be an attractive option to those with alot of prem interest. Championship players and loans is where we should be going. Marshall gone, the cupboard is empty and needs filling fast.