West Ham: Gold Family to Sell 25% Stake to Staveley Consortium

Vanessa Gold, daughter of former West Ham co-owner David Gold, has confirmed that her family intends to sell its stake in the club to a consortium led by former Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley.

The Gold family had been negotiating with Staveley’s consortium, which includes her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, regarding the purchase of a 25% share in the Championship side.

Vanessa Gold said in a statement: “I have agreed to sell my family’s shares to a consortium comprising PCP Capital Partners, led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, together with Ashland Forest Capital Partners.

“Although the transaction has not yet been completed, I wanted to be transparent with our supporters about the current situation and my plans.”

David Gold, who passed away in 2023, served as the Hammers’ joint chairman for 13 years alongside his long-standing business associate David Sullivan.

Sullivan remains West Ham’s biggest shareholder, with Daniel Kretinsky owning the second-largest stake.

Earlier in the summer, shortly after West Ham were relegated from the Premier League, Kretinsky’s EP Group entered talks with the Gold family about acquiring its shares and becoming the club’s largest single shareholder. However, the proposed transaction did not proceed.

Under that proposal, Kretinsky’s ownership would have increased from 27% to 43%, placing him ahead of Sullivan, who holds 38.8%.

Staveley and Ghodoussi held shares in Newcastle from 2021 until 2024 after helping to arrange the club’s takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Vanessa Gold continued: “My priority during this process has been to secure the leadership and ownership needed for West Ham to fulfil its potential and regain its place in the Premier League.

“Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and PCP Capital Partners possess extensive knowledge of what is required to run a successful football club. I am fully confident in the contribution she and her partners can make to West Ham.”

Kretinsky did not share Gold’s positive assessment, and his representative released a statement in response to the expected sale to Staveley’s consortium.

The statement said: “The arrangement reached with the Gold family in June offered the club stability at an important moment. This latest announcement has the reverse effect.

“We will continue to act in West Ham United’s best interests and are considering every available option, including making full use of our pre-emption rights.”

Pre-emption rights are contractual or legal protections that give current shareholders the first opportunity to buy shares before they can be sold to outside investors.

West Ham will start the new campaign at home against Portsmouth in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday, 8 August. Their opening Championship match, away to Burnley, will take place eight days later.