Martin Samuel blasts PAI Capital for email sent about West Ham
Daily Mail journalist Martin Samuel has blasted PAI Capital for their promise to West Ham fans to invest in strengthening the squad at the London Stadium.
The consortium has been strongly linked with a takeover of the East London club but so far, David Sullivan and David Gold have remained adamant they are not interested in a sale.
Writing on the Daily Mail website, Samuel said PAI Capital “were too busy to answer queries in person” and instead relayed the emails they sent to Hammers News.
PAI Capital were asked about their ambition and whether PAI can “invest significantly more in the squad than Sullivan and Gold, to enable the club to become a more consistent challenger in the top six?”.
The response was: “PAI Capital’s plan is to develop the club within a viable business model that guarantees long term to compete at the top level of English football. In case our takeover is successful, there will be a budget allocated to strengthen the squad.
“The scale of the follow-up investment directly depends on the price we pay for the purchase of the club.”
Samuel was less than impressed by the reply and said: “Well, that’s clear then. They have a budget to create a viable business model. One imagines Gold and Sullivan would say the same. So would Norwich. So would the bloke who ran Bury into the ground. It’s just words.
“All that is of interest is the attempt to get the fans to make it difficult for the current owners, thereby forcing the price down.
“But why would West Ham be better off under management who appear to be at their limit just making the purchase? Oh, that’s right. They’re fans.”
He’s right, if you think about it
West Ham fans have grown so disenchanted with GSB that they are going to cling onto whatever hope they have of the current board being removed from the London Stadium.
However, there is such a thing of ‘better the devil you know, than the one you don’t’.
At least under Sullivan and Gold, we have a good manager and a good squad which, while still needs adding to, was able to qualify for the Europa League last season and almost finished in the Champions League spots.
PAI Capital are an unknown and while fans have every right to not trust Sullivan, the West Ham chief has said over and over again that he’s not seen any proof of funds from the consortium.
They’re not West Ham fans, let’s get that straight. And Samuel is right that they are simply saying words to get the supporters on their side to put pressure on the board to sell up.
It may even get them to lower their asking price for a sale.
But we don’t see PAI being successful in their takeover attempt.
It’s time to knuckle down and accept that GSB will be here for the foreseeable future.
In other West Ham news, a player is set to jet into London for a medical with the Irons once a major hardly has been passed.
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