Although they’ve only just come off the back of their best season since 1986, West Ham’s owners could seen have more then a European campaign to deal with as they remain the subject of a takeover bid which is being backed by former players including Rio Ferdinand.
David Sullivan and David Gold appeared to be the saviours of the club after taking it over when West Ham were in financial dire straits.
However, they’ve never really pumped enough cash into the business to truly suggest that they have West Ham’s best interests at heart.
The PAI Capital consortium, being fronted by Philip Beard, appears to be serious about their bid, but Messrs. Sullivan and Gold aren’t playing ball.
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“We genuinely believe that the club, stadium and park will thrive when the stakeholders are all pulling in the same direction,” a statement from PAI read, cited by talkSPORT.
“The only thing holding us back for now is the reluctance of the club’s owners to engage in constructive and realistic negotiations.
“We believe they are willing to sell, and hope we can make progress in the coming weeks.”
To help them in the popularity contest, PAI have enlisted the help of former West Ham stars, Rio and Anton Ferdinand, and the brothers seem only too happy to help.
“We love this club with a passion, both Anton and I are really happy that PAI want to come in and help improve the experience for fans, and I’m delighted they have asked us to play a big part in the club if their bid succeeds,” Rio Ferdinand was quoted as saying by talkSPORT.
“Obviously we know what this club means to the community and how much the fans want to continue to see homegrown talent come through into the first team.
“It’ll be an honour to be able to give something back to a club that means so much to me, Anton and our family.”