Vanessa Gold, daughter of former West Ham chairman David Gold, has agreed to transfer her family's 25.1% stake in the Championship team to a group led by Amanda Staveley. This comes after a previous arrangement with Czech investor Daniel Kretinsky, who would have become the club’s biggest shareholder, failed to materialize.
The background of the sale
Gold’s family trust holds a large share in the club. West Ham was demoted from the Premier League at the end of the previous campaign, just two years after claiming the Europa Conference League title in 2023. Current stakeholders will have the chance to purchase the shares through a pre-emption procedure before the transaction is confirmed. Some reports state the £150m investment could value the second-tier club at £600m, and Staveley has hinted that the deal could see changes to the London Stadium, which the club rents through a favourable deal struck by former Irons chief Baroness Karren Brady with a subsidiary of the Greater London Authority.
Gold's statement on the sale
Gold released a statement: 'As David Gold’s daughter, it was an honor to step into a joint chair and director position at the club after his passing in 2023. No matter if he was playing youth team football, cheering from the stands, or running the club, my father always put protecting this great team first.'
She added: 'Over the past three years, I’ve taken great pride in carrying on his legacy and will always be deeply thankful to the staff, players, and supporters who made it possible. On June 12, Daniel Kretínsky and I reached a deal that would have made EP Group the club’s main shareholder. Regrettably, since then, neither the original agreement nor other options we explored could be completed.'
Gold went on: 'Given this, I have now decided to sell my family’s shareholding to a group led by Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, and PCP Capital Partners. This deal is still subject to a pre-emption process, giving current shareholders first option to buy the shares.'
She said: 'While the process is not finished yet, I wanted to be clear with our fans about what’s happening and my plans. My goal has been to ensure the club is in the right hands to realize its full potential and reclaim its spot in the Premier League.'
Gold continued: 'Staveley, Ghodoussi, and PCP Capital Partners bring significant experience and a solid understanding of what it takes to steer a top football club. I trust them to make a positive difference for West Ham.'
She played a central role in the 2021 Saudi-backed acquisition of Newcastle, which saw the team evolve from near-relegation danger to Champions League contenders before leaving the club in the summer of 2024.
West Ham, who now play in the Championship, aim to quickly return to the Premier League, beginning with a match against Burnley on 16 August.
Staveley said she is planning a “big property play” in English football as the former Newcastle United closes in on a deal to buy a stake in West Ham United. Staveley, her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, and others have agreed to buy the 25.1 per cent stake in the Hammers, who were relegated to the Championship last season, from Gold. “Whatever club we take, there’ll be a big property play as well,” Staveley said in an episode of Bloomberg’s Leaders with Francine Lacqua recorded before West Ham confirmed her agreement with Gold on Saturday. “We won’t just do a football-led. “I just want a challenge, and that’s what excites me. That’s where you get value uplift — when you take something from seedling and allow it to grow.”
The 53-year-old was involved with the sale of Manchester City to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008, and helped Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund buy Newcastle United for £305m in 2021 in a deal that saw her acquire six per cent of the club. West Ham would see Staveley’s reentry into English football following her Newcastle stake sell-off and after rumours of interest in Tottenham Hotspur fell away.
West Ham ownership status Royal Mail proprietor Daniel Kretinsky could still beat Staveley to the Gold stake. He appeared to have agreed a deal earlier this year that would see him become the club’s biggest shareholder and has pre-emption rights. David Sullivan, who stepped down as co-chairman in June, remains the biggest shareholder but faces an uncertain future at the club following allegations, which he denies, about his historical conduct.
What Staveley’s consortium could do with the London Stadium – which costs the UK taxpayer £19m per year – remains unknown given the structure of its ownership, but there have been disagreements between the club and City Hall over the availability of the stadium for a potential Athletics World Championships in 2029.
In a statement, Vanessa Gold said: “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. “While the process has not yet concluded, I wanted to be open with our fans about where things stand and my intentions.”