The 25 per cent share in West Ham owned by co-chairman David Gold is expected to be passed to his family, following his death on Wednesday at the age of 86.
Gold, who passed away following a short illness, completed a takeover of the club alongside long-standing business partner David Sullivan in 2010.
West Ham will wait before making a formal announcement on the club’s future ownership, but it is understood that Gold’s stake will, in the short-term at least, be inherited by his family, including daughters Jacqueline and Vanessa, who both hold executive positions in the business world.
Sullivan remains the club’s largest shareholder, with around 39 per cent, followed by Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky, who bought a 27 per cent stake in 2021.
The deal, worth more than £180million, included a future option to buy out Sullivan and Gold, and Kretinsky has long been expected to mount a full takeover.
Even prior to Gold’s death, no sale was ever likely to take place until March this year at the earliest, when a windfall tax clause is due to expire. Under the clause, Sullivan and Gold would have been liable to pay a share of the profits from any sale to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which owns the London Stadium.
Players from both teams wore black armbands during Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw between West Ham and Leeds, while flowers and a Hammers shirt bearing Gold’s name were placed on a seat in the directors’ box at Elland Road.
