Associates close to Daniel Kretinsky yesterday claimed the Hammers shareholder has no desire to own West Ham outright.
As the Czech billionaire nears a £3.5 billion acquisition of Royal Mail, Kretinsky’s associates emphasised that a full takeover of West Ham ranks low on his list of priorities, if it happens at all.
In November 2021, Kretinsky invested approximately £160 million to acquire 27 percent of West Ham, making him the club’s second-largest shareholder after David Sullivan, who holds 38.8 percent. Sullivan continues to manage the day-to-day operations of the club, and despite recent reports suggesting otherwise, he played a key role in the recruitment of Julen Lopetegui.
Sources also mentioned yesterday that Sullivan is not prepared to sell even a portion of his stake, with the 75-year-old expecting no changes to the current ownership structure in the near future. This was echoed by Jack Sullivan in an interview where he stated his father enjoys running West Ham and has no intentions of stepping down.
Kretinsky does not involve himself in footballing decisions at West Ham as this would violate UEFA regulations due to his involvement with his boyhood club, Sparta Prague. Instead, his representatives within the Premier League club, Jiri Svarc and Pavel Horkey, keep him informed. It was emphasised that Kretinsky had no input in the decision to move on from David Moyes which contradicts rumours on Football Insider earlier this week.
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We have to be clear, Daniel Kretinsky is an investor in West Ham, not a fan.
His interest is in ROI, he bought in because he saw an opportunity to make ££’s.
IF/WHEN a major takeover comes along, he’ll take his profits and move on.