Tony Cottee expects change of West Ham United ownership
Tony Cottee expects a change of ownership at West Ham United next summer after famously backing a bid from PAI Capital in 2021.
The investment company from Hong Kong saw their second and final offer the club turned down (Evening Standard 8 October 2021) after David Gold and David Sullivan had no interest in selling the club.
However, Cottee believes that a change could be close and feels the club owning the London Stadium is crucial moving forward.
In an exclusive interview with West Ham Way (13 October), Cottee said: “Next summer I am expecting there will be a change of ownership. We’ll know after then if we are going in the right direction, hopefully, it will be.
“I want the club to buy the stadium. It’s known I backed the PAI bid and one of the main things behind that was buying the stadium.
“It needs to happen as you can’t give the fans what they want or look after them. Putting up walls, and things like that wouldn’t happen if you owned it. At the moment, people can do things that aren’t right for football fans.”
Hard to envisage
Considering the money that was invested in the summer transfer window, it’s hard to envisage a takeover happening any time soon. However, a takeover would be widely welcomed by the majority of the London Stadium faithful.
Gold, Sullivan and Karren Brady have never been the most popular people in East London, particularly after leaving Upton Park to take up residence in the London Stadium.
Cottee is spot on with his assessment of the Hammers’ current home. Owning the stadium would be massive for the Irons moving forward. It would give them a lot more freedom to make the ground a better place to watch football. West Ham fans have done well to generate a decent atmosphere, but having seats closer to the pitch would certainly enhance the experience further.
At the moment the Irons are an attractive proposition for any perspective buyer. A London club, with a big fan base, a competitive squad and a 60,000-seater Stadium. There’s certainly potential that could well be unlocked to take the club to the next level.