Callum O'Connell

Wed 12 July 2023 13:10, UK

If Sheikh Jassim’s bid to buy Manchester United falls through, the Qataris will look elsewhere in the Premier League, with West Ham among the options, according to BBC journalist Simon Stone, speaking to Stretford Paddock.

West Ham could attract takeover interest from Qatar if their final bid is rejected by the Glazer family, as their interest in purchasing a Premier League club will remain and could lead Jassim to East London with the Hammers as a possible purchase option.

Jassim made a final bid to buy Manchester United over a month ago, and is still yet to hear a response as the takeover battle continues with Jim Ratcliffe [The Express, 12 July].

Speaking to Stretford Paddock’s podcast, Stone revealed: “If that [bid] is rejected, then Qatar’s interest in the Premier League will move somewhere else. It could be Tottenham, they’ve got the location, the stadium, the training ground. It could be a West Ham.

“There was word after the World Cup that Qatar was looking to buy a Premier League club, and clearly they have their sights on the biggest club they can get. There would be Qatari presence in the Premier League, in a league that has Saudi and UAE presence, so there’s a Gulf aspect to that.

“If you think that Qatari ownership is going to arrive in the Premier League, where you already have Saudi ownership in a club that’s going to be in the Champions League, and you already have UAE ownership in a club that’s just won the treble – if you add Qatari ownership to that… I think if there’s Qatari ownership of a Premier League club that’s not Manchester United, that’s going to be an expensive battle to fight.”

Wow.

The Manchester United-focused podcast of course speculated as to what a non-Manchester United takeover would look like with regard to the club, but it seems the consensus is that Qatar will want to pump money into whoever they buy, much like what we’ve seen at Manchester City and Newcastle.

West Ham could be an exciting focus for this, following the club’s European success last year, this may be a clear foundation to further the club’s success and challenge rivals in what Stone referred to as competition among the Gulf states in the Premier League.

Talk of buying Tottenham due to the location and stadium would also apply to West Ham, of course also London-based with a large stadium, so perhaps this deal could be more likely than it may otherwise seem.

There has been speculation at West Ham for a while about possible takeover bids being available, with fans having mixed feelings towards their current ownership, although recent success has certainly put most doubts aside.

With Daniel Kretinsky still firmly in the mix though, this looks complicated.

In other West Ham news, a club are now looking for £20m+ for a potential new Irons midfielder.