Tony Cottee not pleased that PAI Capital couldn’t complete West Ham takeover
Tony Cottee has told ClaretandHugh that PAI Capital’s failure to takeover West Ham left him disappointed as they had good intentions before things fell through.
The former Hammers ace fronted up the consortium’s bid to get control of the club, and while they pulled out of their attempts to complete a move last September, Cottee reckons their attempt did pave the way for Daniel Kretinsky to become co-owner.
The Czech billionaire completed a purchase of a 27 per cent stake in the London Stadium outfit in November, and he holds an option to complete a full takeover in the future.
Cottee hold C and H: “All I’ve ever wanted is for the club to be successful, and if PAI capital helped by creating some pressure for that happen in the way things have gone, I’m pleased.
“I have no regrets. I’m disappointed PAI didn’t get the club because there are some good people in there, but the Hammers are now heading firmly in the right direction and that (is) really the only thing that matters to me.”
All good
Not a lot of West Ham fans believed in PAI despite them recruiting Cottee, Anton Ferdinand and Rio Ferdinand to aid their cause.
They claimed to have submitted a second bid, but the club insisted no proof of funds was shown during the first bid, and David Sullivan refused to do business with them.
The London-based consortium had a £400million bid knocked back by Sullivan in February 2021, with the Irons co-chairman dubbing it “derisory”.
While the Hammers faithful were initially disappointed at how things ended, Kretinsky saved the day with his investment.
Whether PAI played any role in making David Gold, Sullivan and Karren Brady do business with the Sparta Prague co-owner remains to be seen, but the club are in a better place right now than they were couple of months ago, and that is what matters most.
West Ham supporters are hoping Kretinsky will buy the remaining stakes at the club going forward, and it will be interesting to see how that goes.
In other West Ham news, an amazing attacker is making personal arrangements for Hammers switch in January.
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