‘Want to be open with fans’ – Gold family AGREE to sell 25% stake in West Ham to ex-Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley

THE Gold family are set to sell their 25.1 per cent stake in West Ham to a consortium fronted by ex-Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley. The consortium contains private equity firm PCP Partners as well as Staveley’s husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, who was also involved at Newcastle. Amanda Staveley is fronting a consortium buying a stake in West Ham Credit: PA Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi were involved in the 2021 Saudi purchase of Newcastle Credit: Getty Vanessa Gold, daughter of late ex-Hammers chief David, confirmed the decision in a statement. It read: “I have now reached an ​agreement to sell my family’s shareholding to a consortium of ⁠PCP Capital Partners, led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, in ​partnership with Ashland Forest Capital Partners. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! “This sale remains subject to a pre-emption process, under which existing shareholders have the option to buy the shares instead. “While the process has not yet concluded, ​I wanted to be open with our fans about where things ​stand and my intentions.” David Sullivan, who resigned from his role as joint-chair of West Ham in early-June, remains the club’s largest shareholder with a 38.8 per cent stake. Daniel Kretinsky owns a 27 per cent stake via 1890s holding and wanted to strike a deal with the Gold family that would have made him majority shareholder. The Czech businessman had struck an agreement in principle to purchase a further 16 per cent share in the club via the Gold family, only for the deal to fall through. Vanessa Gold added: “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.” Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS She then insisted that Staveley and Co will be suitable co-owners for the Hammers moving forward. Gold continued: “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.” MORE FOLLOWS… Comment now