Vanessa Gold, joint chair of West Ham United, has reached an agreement to sell her family's 25.1 percent stake in the Premier League club to a consortium led by Amanda Staveley, former co-owner of Newcastle United. The proposed transaction involves PCP Capital Partners, which Staveley owns alongside her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, and includes Ashland Forest Capital Partners as a partner.
Gold assumed her leadership role at West Ham following the death of her father, David Gold, in 2023. In a statement, she expressed pride in continuing her father’s legacy of supporting the club, acknowledging his lifelong commitment as a youth player, fan, and owner. She emphasized her dedication to ensuring West Ham has the right leadership to realize its potential.
The stake’s value is estimated to be up to £150 million. While the deal has been reached between Gold and the Staveley-led group, the sale remains subject to a pre-emption rights process. This procedure gives existing shareholders the opportunity to purchase shares proportionally before any transfer to external parties can be finalized. The process is expected to take around two months and allows current shareholders the chance to acquire Gold’s shares instead of the consortium.
Prior to this agreement, Gold was in discussions with Daniel Kretínsky’s EP Group regarding a potential sale that would have made EP Group the club’s largest shareholder. However, that deal and other alternatives failed to materialize. Gold noted that the initial deal with Kretínsky, agreed on June 12, could not be brought to fruition.
Amanda Staveley is known for leading the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover of Newcastle United in 2021. Her involvement in West Ham’s ownership signals the arrival of investors with experience in football club management. Gold expressed confidence that Staveley, Ghodoussi, and PCP Capital Partners will bring the expertise necessary to help West Ham succeed.
The current owners of West Ham have first refusal rights on any share sale, meaning they have priority in purchasing shares offered for sale before outside investors. The pre-emption process is a standard procedure to ensure existing shareholders retain control whenever possible.
As the proposed transaction proceeds through these formalities, both the club and supporters await the outcome, which could influence West Ham’s ownership structure and future direction.