Finance Expert reacts as £650m takeover news emerges at West Ham United

We’re delighted to welcome football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley as our exclusive West Ham United columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium...

Dan Plumley has insisted that a £650million pricetag on West Ham United feels quite high with shares set to be sold at the London Stadium by Vanessa Gold.

Sky News reported that Gold's family shareholding is set to value the club at more than the £650million price put on the club when Daniel Kretinsky invested.

The finance expert admitted it was challenging to put a true value on the club, with the London Stadium arrangement making that difficult on top of other things.

"It shows especially the growth over the last few years," he exclusively told West Ham Zone.

"There is never an exact science to this, everyone will have their own version of the value and the shareholders will be one of those stakeholder groups in the mix.

"I get the feeling that everything we have seen in the industry, and the benchmarking which is not perfect, that is slightly high for a full club acquisition price.

"You've got the stadium in there which is a bit of a challenge as well because of the nature of how that is operating and other things around the value to West Ham as a result.

"It is an attractive club, and it would require a significant value in terms of a takeover.

"If you look at Newcastle at £300million, and an Everton takeover rumoured to be at £500million, you're looking at West Ham in terms of those benchmarks and I get the feeling that £650million is slightly high which again, may come into the conversation around who buys those shares and potentially what control they want."

In other West Ham United news, our expert has shared his verdict on transfers at the club after this Moyes sack decision