Newcastle United favourite dealt major West Ham United blow
Amanda Staveley has been looking to return to football since leaving Newcastle United two years ago.
Former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has effectively been blocked from buying a stake in West Ham United.
Staveley and her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, were in attendance at the London Stadium on Tuesday night for the Hammers’ 4-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, offering a strong indication that a deal was close to being finalised.
Heading up a consortium, Staveley struck a deal in July to buy Vanessa Gold’s 25.1% stake in the Hammers, however, they have been gazumped by existing stakeholders increasing their respective stakeholding.
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As revealed by The Times, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is set to become West Ham’s biggest shareholder, increasing his stake from 27% to 46%, while David Sullivan’s stake will 38.8% to 40%. Tripp Smith, the third-largest shareholder, has increased his investment from 8% to 11%.
It comes after the current Hammers shareholders activated a clause that gave them the right of first refusal on any stake in the club placed on the market, preventing Staveley from getting a seat at the table.
Amanda Staveley eyeing return to football after Newcastle United exit
Staveley has made no secret of her desire to return to football following their exit from Newcastle two years ago.
Staveley’s PCP Partners helped broker the £305million PIF-led takeover of the Magpies in October 2021, initially taking a 10% stake in the football club before being put in charge of its day-to-day running.
Staveley and Ghodoussi played a key role in accelerating the club’s progress on and off the pitch post-takeover before stepping down in July 2024 after their remaining shares were acquired by PIF and RB Sports & Media at a 85%/ 15% split.
“We’ve looked at a lot of clubs, including Tottenham, but we are looking at clubs around the Premier League and the UK, Europe,” Staveley said in June. “We really want to be buying, going in and investing into a club again very soon.”
When asked about West Ham specifically, Staveley said: “Maybe. You don’t know. I think both my husband and I were attracted to building a business where we can take a brand that isn’t doing so well, a club that isn’t performing well, get it on the right road, and bring that forward.
“There are very few clubs (where that can) work. If you want to tick every box, there’s actually very few clubs that allow that.”