West Ham in major new legal battle after Kretinsky move, court judgement due
West Ham have entered into a new legal battle with the London Legacy Development Corporation after Daniel Kretinsky bought a 27 per cent stake in the club, according to The Times.
The newspaper reported via its website [7 January] that a clause with the London Stadium’s landlords meant the LLDC were due a fee for any sale of any stake in the club.
The Hammers paid an initial £2.6million after Kretinsky’s purchase in November 2023, though it has been claimed this fee should have been much higher, with the LLDC winning an expert determination for an extra £3.95million.
It is understood that the High Court’s judgement is expected later this month.
London Stadium drama emerges at West Ham
A financial update surrounding the London Stadium is certainly the last thing the Hammers need during this current moment in time, with so much already going on at the club.
Head coach Julen Lopetegui could be just hours away from being sacked by David Sullivan [The Telegraph], with Graham Potter the leading contender to take his place, and Tim Steidten is now being criticised.
The Irons are at no immediate risk of a PSR breach on the pitch, so a small loss such as this will not be a massive deal, but it is certainly not a good look as drama continues to exude from East London.
After 20 matches of the league campaign, Lopetegui’s side have slipped to 14th in the Premier League table, with the majority of fans calling for his head over the past few weeks.
Being caught up in a new legal battle is absolutely not going to help the ongoing frustrations at the London Stadium, even if the problems are somewhat behind the scenes with Kretinsky, who has agreed a £3.5billion deal to purchase International Distributions Services [Bloomberg].
In other West Ham news, Julen Lopetegui’s camp is furious with what Tim Steidten has done.
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