West Ham United is a reported takeover target for American investment fund 777 Partners.
According to The Daily Mail, 777 Partners attempted a takeover at Everton but failed, and are now looking at either West Ham or Sheffield United instead.
David Sullivan and Daniel Kretinsky are the current co-owners of the Hammers, holding around a 65% interest in the club between them.
The family of David Gold has a 25% stake in the club.
West Ham is worth around $900 million (£730 million) according to Forbes, so the Americans will have to be ready to splash some serious cash if they want to buy us…
Big twist as Americans worth £4.85 billion reportedly eye up West Ham takeover
The investment fund, which is worth around $6 billion (£4.85 billion) in assets (the Daily Mail), was founded in 2015 by Steven Pasko and Josh Wander and is based in Miami Florida.
Andres Blazquez is the operating partner who helps manage the company’s football investments.
They own a 7.5% stake in Spanish club Sevilla and a 99.99% stake in Italian side Genoa. The American investment firm also owns Standard Liege and has a controlling interest in Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama.
It now seems as though the Hammers could be the next club that the investment firm take over.
We have to be really careful here. Sometimes it’s better to the devil you know, isn’t it?
There are no guarantees that 777 Partners would have the ambition or liquid assets required to take us to the next level as a football club.
We all know how poorly we have been run as a club in recent times. However, it must be said that Sullivan and Kretinsky have backed David Moyes to the hilt in the transfer market over the past couple of years.
Who’s to say that the American investment firm would splash the cash? Could they just be in it for the money? Nobody knows at this point in time.
If the current West Ham owners were to buy the London Stadium outright and make the necessary changes to our home ground, would there actually be a clamor from the fans for new owners? I’m not convinced there would be any more.
That said, if 777 Partners do attempt a West Ham takeover, it will be interesting to see the stances of Sullivan and Kretinsky.
