Royal Mail owner Daniel Kretinsky is set to become the largest shareholder in West Ham United, acquiring a 46% stake in the club through a deal with remaining shareholders. The Czech businessman has reached an agreement with former chairman David Sullivan and other shareholders, including the Gold family, over the 25.1% of the club owned by the Gold family. This move is expected to impact Amanda Staveley, a former Newcastle United director, who had been planning to invest in West Ham by purchasing the Gold family’s stake. Staveley attended West Ham’s recent 4-2 victory over Wolves at the London Stadium and had been working to buy Vanessa Gold’s 25.1% share in the club. She had previously struck a deal with the Gold family in July and was leading a group aiming to secure a place on the club’s board. However, this prompted a process allowing other shareholders to exercise their pre-emption rights—legal rights that allow existing shareholders to buy shares before they are offered to outsiders—before a deadline of 5:30 pm on Thursday. This process limited Staveley’s ability to proceed with her plans. Kretinsky, a Czech billionaire and owner of Royal Mail, has agreed to increase his stake from 27% to 46%, surpassing Sullivan as the largest shareholder. Sources suggest that Staveley’s group is unlikely to find a way back into the deal. Kretinsky aims to strengthen his position in West Ham as the club seeks to rebuild after being relegated from the Premier League last season. His plans had been complicated by Staveley’s involvement, but Sullivan reportedly rejected Staveley’s attempt to buy his stake during the summer. Sullivan, who first invested in West Ham in November 2021, has shown a preference for dealing with Kretinsky. The deal will also see Sullivan increase his stake from 38.8% to 40%, making him the second-largest shareholder. Tripp Smith, an American businessman, will see his stake rise from 8% to 11%, and other shareholders will increase from 1.1% to 3%. For Staveley to have a chance to make a separate offer for the Gold shares, she would need the other shareholders to not exercise their pre-emption rights, which seems unlikely given the current situation. Sullivan stepped down as a director and co-chair of West Ham in June following a joint investigation by The Times and Panorama, which reported allegations that seven women claimed he abused his power and engaged in inappropriate conduct, with claims dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. Sullivan has categorically denied the allegations. Although he has attended West Ham’s home games this season, he no longer holds a seat on the board and is not the most influential figure at the club.