Vanessa Gold, daughter of former West Ham United chair David Gold, has reached an agreement to sell her family's 25.1% shareholding in the English Championship club to a consortium led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, in partnership with Ashland Forest Capital Partners. This follows the collapse of a previously agreed sale to Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky.
The sale remains subject to a pre-emption process, allowing existing shareholders the option to purchase the shares instead. Vanessa Gold stated, "While the process has not yet concluded, I wanted to be open with our fans about where things stand and my intentions."
David Sullivan remains the club's largest shareholder with 38.8%, while Kretinsky, through 1890s Holdings, owns 27%. Had the earlier deal proceeded, Kretinsky would have become the majority shareholder by acquiring a 16% portion of the Gold family's shares.
Vanessa Gold reflected on the failed deal, saying, "On the 12th June Daniel Kretinsky and I agreed a sale ... unfortunately, since that time the original deal and other alternatives that we have discussed could not be brought to fruition."
Amanda Staveley and her firm PCP Capital Partners previously played a key role in facilitating Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund's takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021. Gold expressed confidence in the new consortium, stating, "The Consortium will bring deep experience and understanding of what it takes to lead a successful football club, and I have every confidence in what they can bring to West Ham."
Loading comments.