Finance expert: Karren Brady runs risk of upsetting West Ham fans after £2.2m revelation
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...
Karren Brady could upset some of the West Ham fans by taking £2.2million out from the club as the official accounts revealed.
That’s according to finance expert Dan Plumley, who claims that it could also be seen as a positive in the long run as she brought Daniel Kretinsky through the door.
Per the Daily Mail (29 December), £1million of that amount was paid as a bonus for bringing the Czech billionaire to the club.
Kretinsky does have the intention to complete a full takeover of the club as he currently owns a minority stake in the Hammers.
Plumley admitted that what Brady and West Ham have done is completely legal and by the book, but it tends to lead to negative PR.
He told West Ham Zone, “Let’s look at this from the point of ownership models and structures.
“If further down the line that Kretinsky’s investment leads to West Ham really pushing on and taking them on to the next level then we can look back in time and say perhaps that bonus was warranted.
“The challenge with that is if you have owners and directors taking a fee out of the club you always run the risk of upsetting the fanbase a little bit because the perceived take from the fans’ point of view is that the money should go back into the club, be that in player transfers, infrastructure or anything like that.
“That’s the risk you take as owners and directors but as owners and directors you are quite within your rights to do that.”
Brady’s association with the London club has now been over a decade as she was appointed the vice chairman when David Sullivan and David Gold purchased it in 2010.
Since then, she has shared what could be described as a tetchy relationship with the Hammers fanbase for some of her comments and decisions.