West Ham co-chair Daniel Kretinsky has offloaded a little over 2% of his shareholding to fellow Czech investor Jakub Havrlant, a move that could derail Amanda Staveley’s separate bid to buy into the Championship club.
On Saturday, Vanessa Gold — West Ham’s other co-chair and the daughter of former co-owner David — confirmed her family’s intention to sell its shares to a consortium led by ex-Newcastle United co-owner Staveley.
That agreement is subject to West Ham’s long-standing pre-emption rights, which give current shareholders first refusal on any shares for sale and, in this case, the ability to match Staveley’s offer.
Kretinsky, who owns Royal Mail, acquired a 27% stake in West Ham in 2021.
He was unable to finalise his own deal with the Gold family announced in June, following a BBC Panorama investigation that included allegations concerning majority shareholder David Sullivan.
Kretinsky has voiced opposition to the Staveley proposal and said he was “considering his options” after the Gold family’s announcement.
The sale to Havrlant is significant because it enables Kretinsky to pursue Gold’s 25.1% holding without taking his own stake above 50%, which would trigger a mandatory offer for the remainder of the club.
In theory, Sullivan — who still owns 38.8% — could also bid for Gold’s shares, though it is unclear whether that would be permitted given the nature of the allegations, which he denies.
The process related to the sale of the Gold family’s shares is expected to take around two months, as there are two pre-emption rounds to complete.
Kretinsky said he was pleased that Havrlant is set to join the ownership group, subject to the pre-emption process, praising his track record as an investor and digital innovator and expressing confidence that his involvement will strengthen the club.