Vanessa Gold Agrees to Sell Her West Ham Stake to Amanda Staveley's Consortium

Vanessa Gold has agreed to sell her family's 25.1 per cent shareholding in West Ham United to a consortium led by Amanda Staveley, the businesswoman who brokered the Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle United in 2021.

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Gold, who took on the role of joint-chair after the death of her father David in January 2023, confirmed the agreement in a personal statement released alongside separate announcements from the Staveley-led group and the club itself. The deal is not yet final. It now enters a legally required pre-emption process that gives West Ham's existing shareholders first refusal on the shares, a process expected to take around two months.

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The consortium buying the stake is made up of Staveley, her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, PCP Capital Partners and Ashland Forest Capital Partners. In a joint statement, the group said: "Amanda Staveley, her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, PCP Capital Partners along with Ashland Forest Capital Partners can confirm they have agreed the purchase of the Gold family's 25.1 per cent stake in West Ham United. A legally binding agreement has been signed. This sale agreement, though, remains subject to a pre-emption process under which existing shareholders have the option to buy the shares instead. No further comment will be made whilst the ongoing legal process takes its course."

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The stake belonged to David Gold, who co-owned Birmingham City with David Sullivan from 1993 until selling his shares in 2009, then joined Sullivan again in January 2010 to buy a 50 per cent share of West Ham and take joint operational control of the club. Gold grew up across the road from West Ham's old Boleyn Ground and played for the club's youth teams before making his fortune in business. He remained joint chairman until his death in January 2023, after which Vanessa Gold stepped into his role.

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A Deal That Almost Went a Different Way

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Gold's path to this agreement took a winding route. In her statement, she revealed that an earlier deal had already come and gone this summer. "On June 12, Daniel Kretinsky and I agreed a sale that would have made EP Group the single largest shareholder in West Ham," she said. "Unfortunately, since that time, the original deal and other alternatives that we have discussed could not be brought to fruition."

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That collapse left Gold searching for a new buyer at a difficult moment for the club. West Ham dropped out of the Premier League at the end of last season and will open their Championship campaign away at Burnley on August 16. Against that backdrop, Gold said she turned to the Staveley-led group instead. "In light of this, I have now reached an agreement to sell my family's shareholding to a consortium of PCP Capital Partners, led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, in partnership with Ashland Forest Capital Partners," she said. "This sale remains subject to a pre-emption process, under which existing shareholders have the option to buy the shares instead. While the process has not yet concluded, I wanted to be open with our fans about where things stand and my intentions."

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Gold has held her position since succeeding her father, who co-owned West Ham with David Sullivan for more than a decade before his death. She described the responsibility in personal terms. "As the daughter of David Gold, it was a great honour to step into a joint-chair and director role at the club following his passing in 2023," she said. "Whether as a youth-team player, a lifelong fan or an owner, my father's priority was always to champion and protect this great club. Over the past three years I have taken huge personal pride in continuing that legacy and will always be hugely grateful to the staff, players and fans who allowed me to do so."

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She was direct about her reasoning for choosing Staveley's group over other options. "My ambition throughout this process has been to ensure the club has the right leadership and ownership to enable West Ham to achieve its potential and return to its rightful place in the Premier League," Gold said. "Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and PCP Capital Partners will bring deep experience and understanding of what it takes to lead a successful football club, and I have every confidence in what she and her partners can bring to West Ham."

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Staveley's Newcastle Track Record

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Staveley is a familiar name to Premier League followers. She brokered the deal that allowed a Saudi-backed consortium to buy Newcastle United from Mike Ashley in October 2021, and she and Ghodoussi remained involved at St James' Park through a period in which the club rose from relegation candidates to Champions League participants. The pair departed in the summer of 2024. Newcastle went on to win the Carabao Cup after their exit, ending a wait for a major trophy that had stretched back decades.

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Staveley's dealmaking history stretches back further than Newcastle. She founded PCP Capital Partners in 2005, building the firm around connecting Middle Eastern capital with Western opportunities. In 2008, she was central to Sheikh Mansour's £210m purchase of Manchester City, and in the same year she worked on the £7.3bn investment by Abu Dhabi and Qatari investors into Barclays amid the 2008 financial crisis, a deal that helped the bank avoid a UK government bailout. Her involvement in major football and finance deals over nearly two decades sits behind the credentials Gold pointed to in her statement.

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That history is likely why Gold described the incoming group as bringing "deep experience and understanding of what it takes to lead a successful football club." West Ham's need for that kind of experience is immediate. The club finished last season in the relegation zone alongside Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers and now faces the task of rebuilding for an instant return to the top flight, all while a change of ownership plays out in the background.

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Gold was careful to stress that the day-to-day running of the club continues regardless of the ownership process. "While the sale process proceeds, I will continue to act in the club's best interests, as my father did and would expect of me," she said.

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What Happens Next

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West Ham confirmed the agreement in their own statement, while stressing that nothing changes immediately. "West Ham United can confirm it is aware of the announcement from joint-chair Vanessa Gold that she has reached a provisional agreement to sell her shares to a consortium of PCP Capital Partners, led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, in partnership with Ashland Forest Capital Partners," the club said. "The proposed transaction will now be subject to a pre-emption rights process. This provides all existing shareholders with the opportunity to acquire their proportional percentage of shares in round one, and any remaining shares in round two. This process will take approximately two months and, until it is completed, nothing will change regarding the ownership structure of the club."

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The club added that supporters should not expect any disruption to pre-season preparations. "West Ham United would like to assure supporters that the day-to-day running of the football club is in no way affected by this situation," the statement continued. "Preparations for the new season continue to take shape with diligence and focus, and we thank all fans for their continued loyal backing at this time. The club will be making no further comment while the pre-emption process runs its course."

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Sky Sports News also reported that Staveley, Ghodoussi and their consortium have brought together considerable funds ahead of the pre-emption window, a signal of intent should any of the existing shareholders attempt to match or beat the offer for Gold's stake.

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A Consortium With Ambitions Beyond a Minority Stake

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Should the initial 25.1 per cent purchase go through, Staveley's group is understood to have designs on a larger role at the London Stadium. Reports have linked the consortium to further interest in the 38.8 per cent shareholding still held by former co-chairman David Sullivan, which would represent a much larger step toward outright control of the club.

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For now, though, the immediate story is Gold stepping back from the position her father held for so long. West Ham fans have watched two ownership sagas play out within a matter of weeks, from the collapsed Kretinsky agreement in June to Staveley's arrival in early August, all while the football side of the club tries to plan a promotion push from the Championship. The pre-emption process gives every existing shareholder, including Sullivan, a two-round window to match the deal before Staveley's group can complete the purchase, so nothing is guaranteed even with a signed agreement in place.

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Gold's statement made clear she sees this as the end of one chapter rather than the end of her connection to the club, closing with a pledge to keep operating in West Ham's interests "as my father did" until the process is complete.

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