Hopes of a super rich and well-connected financier investing in West Ham with a view to a full takeover have been dealt a major blow by rivals Spurs.
West Ham fans are desperate for their current owners to sell up and leave the club.
Hammers fans have been protesting for majority owner David Sullivan and co to sell or at the very least step aside and let specialist professionals run the club.
West Ham supporters were given hope recently when Daniel Levy stood down at Tottenham Hotspur after years of campaigning for his departure.
Hammers vice-chair Karren Brady insisted at the start of the season that West Ham’s owners are not going anywhere.
West Ham owners under pressure to sell after Levy exit
That was before the latest uprising among fans, which continued when West Ham supporters defied Arsenal stewards to protest at the Emirates on Saturday.
West Ham and Tottenham have both been linked with takeovers in recent years.
A buy-in from a new investor or full takeover seems the only viable long-term solution to the current ‘civil war’ at the London Stadium.
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In an official statement back in 2020, Sullivan confirmed he rejected a £650m bid from Red Bull for West Ham.
It was recently claimed PSG’s Qatari owners saw an offer for West Ham snubbed in 2023. The same group have been linked with a takeover at Tottenham Hotspur since then too.
They were not the only new money being linked with the bitter London rivals, though.
West Ham majority owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady in the director's box during the defeat to Crystal Palace
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Following Levy’s exit, Tottenham have rejected expressions of interest in buying the club from Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners and a Chinese consortium.
Tottenham then announced the club are not for sale.
That piled pressure on Sullivan and co given PCP’s links with West Ham.
Staveley’s consortium was linked with a West Ham takeover last season.
Staveley helped set up the Man City takeover before then setting up the Saudi PIF investment at Newcastle.
After selling her stake in the Magpies, Staveley put together a consortium in order to invest a reported £500m for an “in” at another Premier League club.
Surprise guest at Spurs NFL clash is devastating for West Ham after £500m link
A leading Hammers board source close to Sullivan claimed last season that the Staveley-led fund could buy into West Ham instead of Spurs.
The mega-rich financier made a choice between Spurs and West Ham, opting for the north Londoners – only to be rejected.p
But while there was potential good news for Hammers fans who want to see Sullivan and Daniel Kretinsky sell up, the timing was critical.
Now a surprise guest at the latest Spurs NFL clash is devastating news for West Ham after the £500m link.
Many West Ham fans believe Sullivan and co have been putting off potential Hammers takeover suitors with an over-inflated valuation of the club.
Amanda Staveley Interview at St. James Park
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Five years ago, Brady’s personal website listed West Ham as being worth a whopping £800m.
Whether that remains the case is unclear.
But the Gold family’s 25 per cent stake in West Ham has now been up for sale for two years with no takers.
Hopes Staveley could buy into West Ham with a view to ultimately connecting the club to nation state or oil money have been dealt a major new blow.
West Ham were warned they must strike while there was a window of opportunity to lure Staveley after her Spurs bid was rejected, because it was claimed that would not be the end of her interest.
But journalist Alan Nixon has revealed Staveley was a surprise VIP guest at Tottenham for the NFL clash between Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Staveley was also seen in the company of members of the family of Tottenham owner Joe Lewis.
Nixon says Staveley and her backers, a consortium with American and Qatari cash and interests, are still keen on Tottenham ‘if a deal was right’.
Missed opportunity for West Ham as Spurs back on Staveley radar
The Sun journalist adds on his Patreon that while Spurs have claimed they will not sell, the stance has not stopped major interest behind the scenes.
The news is a crushing blow to West Ham and any hopes Staveley would turn her attentions back to east London.
West Ham look ripe for a takeover given the unrest between fans and the ownership.
There were rumours of potential interest in West Ham from US bidders at the end of last season.
A potential foreign investor was also given a tour of West Ham’s facilities, including the Rush Green training ground, recently.
The tour, believed to have been conducted by Brady and sporting director Mark Noble, was allegedly for a potential investor interested in buying the Gold family’s stake in the club.
Harry Redknapp made a seriously exciting West Ham takeover claim last week – but this Staveley update is a body blow for the Hammers.