Daniel Kretinsky could 'hand West Ham' to Amanda Staveley after takeover talks
Daniel Kretinsky may be prepared to work alongside Amanda Staveley in a partnership at the top of West Ham United.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that Staveley would have the club's "best interests at heart" if she joined the board at the London Stadium.
This comes after reports that the former Newcastle director and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi have held initial talks about a potential takeover of the Hammers.
Nevertheless, Wyness is adamant that Kretinsky still holds all the cards at the moment, but could entertain the idea of a partnership.
The Czech businessman recently agreed a deal to become the club's largest shareholder, and is about to take on a stake of 43 per cent.
That will see him eclipse the 38.8 per cent held by David Sullivan, but Staveley and her backers could yet come into the equation.
Amanda Staveley desperate for new football 'adventure'
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 Staveley is hugely keen to get back into football in the near future.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness shared his relationship with the 53-year-old and made it clear that she would be a "good fit" for West Ham.
"Amanda and Mehrdad are decent people. I've met Amanda and look, no problem with her at all. They certainly showed that they had the club's best interests at heart at Newcastle," he said.
"They got personally involved, and I think they really enjoyed it. So they want another football adventure. It's not Amanda's own money as such. She tends to put together syndicates very well, mainly from her Middle East connections.
"She's been around both Liverpool and Spurs, but West Ham actually might be a good fit. The one with all the cards right now is Mr Kretinsky. He has the largest shareholding, and it would be up to him if he wanted to do anything.
"He could sell, if the other shareholders agree as well, and hand the whole thing to Amanda and Mehrdad, or else he goes into a partnership with them, which may work as well.
"I think they would be quite decent partners, and that could work for him. So I can see both those options still being available.
"I tend to think Kretinsky's got longer-term plans himself on how he might run it, but certainly they'd be very credible partners if they were to step up and pay for those extra shares."
West Ham valued at '£500m'
Wyness told Football Insider last week that West Ham are currently being valued at around the "£500million" ahead of a potential takeover.
He emphasised that Kretinsky will have got a "cheap deal" with the latest increase in his shares, as he has taken a "big risk" by upping his involvement after relegation.
Wyness suggested that the £500m valuation is a "huge premium" for a Championship club, but also noted that Kretinsky believes an immediate return to the Premier League is possible.
The saga surrounding the ownership of the club is continuing to unfold, and it could yet end with Staveley at the helm in the Premier League once again.