West Ham: David Sullivan and Daniel Kretinsky in behind-the-scenes battle after Karren Brady exit
West Ham United chairman David Sullivan and Daniel Kretinsky are both locked in a dispute over who controls football decisions at the club.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking to Football Insider, after Karren Brady stepped down from her role at the London Stadium.
Brady stepped down from her position as vice-chair after 16 years in the role, and was responsible for the club’s move from Upton Park to the London Stadium.
The 57-year-old’s departure means Kretinsky is now West Ham’s vice-chair and could buy a portion of the Gold family’s 25.1% stake in the club to match Sullivan’s shareholding.
Kretinsky currently owns a 27% stake, whilst Sullivan is West Ham’s largest shareholder with a 38.8% stake in the club.
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VISIT THE WEST HAM FINANCE HUBExpert has heard ‘rumours’ at West Ham after Karren Brady’s departure
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – said Brady’s departure could have been down to further changes behind-the-scenes at West Ham.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks either Sullivan or Kretinsky will be next to step down if they can not agree on key decisions.
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He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I was a little bit surprised in the timing of Brady’s departure.
“I read all the media pieces. Some of them were just bizarrely sycophantic in some ways, and others got closer to the real truth. Karren, since she’s been in football, and I’ve been dealing with her since her time at Birmingham City, she is what I would call Marmite.
“I’m certainly of the brand that is not a big fan at all. I’ve really not enjoyed dealing with her when I’ve had to on a number of issues. There may be something related that there are a lot of changes going on at West Ham right now.
“A number of senior staff have left as well. Although it’s not confirmed, there are rumours of the Gold shares being sold and split between Sullivan and Kretinsky.
“It may not be a done deal yet, as I understand it, because there is still a real debate there between the two of them as to who’s going to control football decisions, and are they going to have to be jointly agreed or not.
“Kretinsky’s got some real question marks about how the football side’s been handled by some of them. It’s not a happy ship if you’ve got two competing owners like that, and it would probably have to be that one of them would have to go.”
Internal issues need to be resolved as transfer window approaches
With the summer transfer window fast approaching, Sullivan and Kretinsky will be forced to make big decisions in the market.
The Hammers are expected to be busy this summer, and player sales will need to happen amid their financial position.
Wyness told Football Insider that West Ham will have to stick with their agent-led recruitment model as the club can not afford to build a young squad for the future, or risk another season fighting relegation on the pitch.
Sullivan and Kretinsky are expected to have to put more money into the club to help them move forward, whilst fans continue to protest at their ownership, and call for fresh investment.
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