West Ham ownership battle: Křetínský deal collapses as Staveley emerges

Football finance expert Stefan Borson has suggested that liquidity issues may have caused Daniel Křetínský’s planned acquisition of shares in West Ham United to collapse. The proposed deal, which aimed to increase Křetínský’s stake to approximately 43 per cent by purchasing a portion of the Gold family’s 25.1 per cent holding, failed to materialize after an initial agreement was announced in June.

Borson stated on talkSPORT that the Gold family likely grew impatient while waiting for Křetínský to complete the transaction. This delay reportedly allowed Amanda Staveley to present a competing proposal, leading Vanessa Gold to accept Staveley’s offer for the family’s entire shareholding instead.

The collapse comes as the club faces financial pressure, having reported a £104 million loss in its last accounting period. Borson noted that the current bids value West Ham at roughly £600 million.