AMANDA STAVELEY has broken her silence on her failed bid to purchase a significant stake in West Ham.
The businesswoman, 53, ended up in a battle for control of the Championship club opposite Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky earlier this month.
Staveley, a former co-owner of Newcastle United, had agreed a deal to purchase West Ham joint-chair Vanessa Gold’s 25.1 per cent stake.
But Kretinsky – who has investments in brands such as Royal Mail, Foot Locker and Sainsbury’s – pipped Staveley to the shares thanks to a pre-emption period that allowed him to become the new largest shareholder, with a 46 per cent stake.
Staveley and her firm PCP Capital Partners released a statement on Friday addressing the blow to her ownership ambitions.
The statement read: “We are obviously disappointed not to have been successful in our bid to acquire the 25% shareholding in West Ham United.
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“For transparency, our original offer was for both David Sullivan’s 38.8% stake and Vanessa Gold’s 25.1% stake in the Club.
“There was always the potential that the other shareholders would take up their rights under the shareholders’ agreement, which is what they have elected to do.”
David Sullivan, who stepped down as club vice-chair in June following allegations which he denies, also increased his stake from 38.8 per cent to 40 per cent.
But Staveley was not prepared to admit defeat in her hunt to take up a role with the club in the near future.
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She set out her hopes of returning to the negotiating table with the outfit, and even opened the door to collaboration with the club’s existing shareholders.
The statement concluded: “We will continue to follow this process closely.
“Our ambitions for the club remain, and we would be open to the opportunity to work constructively with the existing shareholders in the future subject to us not taking up other opportunities that have been presented to our consortium in the wake of recent events over the past week.”
West Ham are currently searching for promotion back to the Premier League after finishing 18th last season.
They are second in the Championship table after six games, despite failing to win in their opening three with the cloud of uncertain ownership looming over them.