Amanda Staveley to be 'isolated' at West Ham after Daniel Kretinsky's 'very clever move'

Daniel Kretinsky may be about to back Amanda Staveley into a corner as she attempts to buy into West Ham United.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Czech businessman currently has the upper hand over Staveley in the ownership race.

Kretinsky intends to sell 2 per cent of his shares in the Hammers to a close ally, which in turn would enable him to hijack Staveley's deal for Vanessa Gold's 25.1 per cent, without breaking the 50 per cent barrier.

Wyness believes that is a "very good move" from the Royal Mail tycoon, and feels that it is part of a wider plan for him to neutralise Staveley.

Staveley already has a deal agreed to buy Gold's shares, but Wyness understands that Kretinsky has pre-emption rights, giving him the chance to swoop in and seal the deal.

He would then become the biggest owner at West Ham, but crucially would not have crossed the 50 per cent boundary, which would then automatically require him to buy David Sullivan's 38.8 per cent share as well.

Daniel Kretinsky waiting to play his cards

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Kretinsky has everything in place to move towards a full takeover of the club if he wishes.

The Scottish businessman believes that he intends to leave Staveley "isolated," and could even move to buy Sullivan's shares if his attempted hijack of Gold's shares fails.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why Kretinsky remains the likely winner of the whole situation.

"Yeah, I think it's a very clever move. I think Kretinsky's done the right thing in giving himself some room not to assume total control," he said.

"He's obviously parked that small percentage with his friend, but as I understand it, he still has the pre-emptive right on Vanessa Gold's shares. 

"So I still think he's in a strong position that even if he doesn't get the Gold shares, it may end up that he goes and gets Sullivan's with his preemptive right, which would leave Amanda isolated as a minority owner. 

"All the cards are in Kretinsky's hands right now. He's a very canny businessman. He's got resources. So I do expect him to be the winner out of this situation, unless he decides that he wants to leave West Ham and move on. 

"I think he sees what he could actually have there, getting control of the stadium, ownership of the stadium; he sees what could be done. Overall, some big ideas could be floating around in Kretinsky's head."

Amanda Staveley to build '£1bn' West Ham stadium

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider earlier this week that Staveley will look to purchase the London Stadium as well if she takes over at West Ham.

The football finance expert believes that the former Newcastle director would look to knock down the London Stadium and build a new home for the club elsewhere.

However, Borson warned that a full purchase of the club, plus enacting on this plan, would likely cost Staveley and her backers in excess of "£1billion."

He also indicated that re-location away from the London Stadium would come with a "raft of issues" that may create more problems than they solve.