Daniel Kretinsky considers £100M loan for West Ham United player acquisitions

Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire who has steadily tightened his grip on West Ham United, is planning to loan roughly £100 million to the club for new player signings. The move comes at a moment when the east London club finds itself in arguably the most turbulent period in its modern history: relegated from the Premier League, bleeding money, and navigating a leadership vacuum at the top.

A club in crisis meets a billionaire with a plan

West Ham were relegated from the Premier League in May 2026. The club recorded a £104.2 million loss in the previous year, and post-relegation, West Ham has faced pressure to raise over £100 million through player sales just to balance its books.

On June 13, 2026, Kretinsky increased his stake from 27% to approximately 43% through his vehicle 1890 Holdings, making him the club’s single largest shareholder. Co-chairman David Sullivan resigned amid misconduct allegations, and the ownership shares previously held by the Gold family changed hands. Kretinsky acquired those shares, effectively repositioning himself from a significant minority investor to the dominant force in the boardroom.

Kretinsky first entered the West Ham ownership structure in November 2021 with a 27% stake.

No fire sale, says Kretinsky

Kretinsky has signaled he wants to avoid the conventional playbook for a newly relegated club, which involves selling best players to plug financial holes. Instead of stripping the squad for parts, the plan appears to be injecting fresh capital to strengthen it, with the £100 million loan earmarked specifically for player acquisitions.

“We don’t need to sell the players for financial reasons.”

That statement, made publicly as part of a joint announcement with Vanessa Gold, is a direct rejection of the austerity approach. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo remains in charge, and Kretinsky’s financial backing is positioned as the fuel for a promotion push under the Portuguese coach.

What this means for West Ham’s future

Kretinsky’s broader business profile offers some context for the scale of his ambition. He owns the majority of EPH, the Czech energy conglomerate, and co-owns Sparta Prague.

The transaction to finalize Kretinsky’s increased stake is expected to complete within weeks of the June 13 announcement.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.