Even more exciting times could be on the horizon for West Ham United fans as the Athletic report that Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is considering purchasing an initial minority stake in the club.
The Athletic have found that the 46-year-old, who has been the president of Czech Republic giants Sparta Prague since 2004, may purchase a majority share of the club in the future.
Kretinsky, who is know as the ‘Czech Sphinx’, is a trained lawyer who made a name for himself in the energy sector with private equity firm J&T and now holds shares in companies from Foot Locker to Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s.
The Times (subscription required) report that Kretinsky is in advanced talks over the purchase of a 27% stake for around £150m, with an announcement expected in the middle of November.
That would mark the club’s overall value at around £600m, leaving current owners David Gold and David Sullivan in line to make massive profits.
Now seems like the perfect time for the West Ham hierarchy to welcome new investment, they’ve been playing their best football in years since David Moyes began his second spell at the club.
The Hammers qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish last season and they currently sit top of their group in that competition and fourth in the Premier League.
Kretinsky is believed to be worth almost £3 billion, according to the Athletic via Forbes.
With the east London outfit starting to knock on the door of English football’s elite once again, a mega-rich owner could provide the funds needed to push the side on even further.