Daniel Kretinsky: How much is West Ham's Czech billionaire investor worth?

A number of Premier League clubs have rich owners and investors with sizeable shareholdings, and West Ham are no different.

David Sullivan and David Gold have been in control of the club since 2011, aided by Baroness Karren Brady, but the Hammers now also have investment from a Czech holding group named 1890s.

They are fronted by billionaire businessman and lawyer Daniel Kretinsky, and as of November 2021, own a 27% stake in the Hammers - an investment that valued the club between £600m and £700m at the time of purchase.

A full takeover is rumoured to be in the club's future, although for now Kretinsky will work alongside Sullivan, Gold and other minority investors to try and help West Ham become profitable - having also taken a spot on the club's board.

Who is Daniel Kretinsky?

Kretinsky is a Czech-born businessman and a qualified lawyer who opted to join a Central European private equity firm called J&T.

He is a man with many, many commitments in many, many areas of business, and has been renowned for the dispassionate and impartial way in which he conducts himself, earning the nickname of the 'Czech sphinx'.

West Ham certainly need someone level-headed on board, so that's probably a big plus.

In 2009 they founded a Prague-based company (EPH) that invests in energy across Europe, and the group maintain power stations, railways and coal mines across the continent, including in the UK.

How much is Daniel Kretinsky worth?

Kretinsky's wealth was listed at £2.9bn in the most recent edition of Forbes' rich list, and his interest's in the world of business are far reaching.

In 2009, J&T founded a Prague-based company (EPH) that invests in energy across Europe, and the group maintain power stations, railways and coal mines across the continent, including in the UK.

He is also the single largest shareholder in J Sainsbury (so you know which supermarket Hammers fans will boycott if he's unpopular), while he also has significant stakes in Royal Mail, Foot Locker and Macy's among others.

How much of West Ham does Kretinsky own?

As alluded to before, Czech holding group 1890s have committed to an initial 27% stake in West Ham, with a view to further investment down the line.

West Ham's agreement with Kretinsky will see the club release more shares, diluting the current shareholders, and will allow the money coming into the club from their new investor to benefit the club as well as the existing shareholders.

Who else is Kretinsky associated with?

In 2014, he dipped his toes into the media world by becoming part owner of Czech News Centre - one of the largest media houses in his home country.

Four years later, he purchased a 49% stake in French newspaper Le Monde, though a minority shareholder designed to protect the publication's editorial independence were not aware of this and were sceptical of the sale.

Still, at least West Ham have someone on board who should have an idea of how the media works.

Does Kretinsky know anything about football?

The short answer for West Ham fans is, yes, he should know plenty.

Kretinsky's involvement with West Ham will not be his first in football. Back in 2004, he became the club president of Czech side Sparta Prague after purchasing a 40% stake in the club.

That's a position he holds to this day and under his guidance, Sparta have won the league title four times and are regulars in the Champions League and Europa League.

Who are the richest football club owners in the world?

Kretinsky is worth a lot of money, that's crystal clear - but in terms of footballing wealth, he's still pretty far down the pecking order. More importantly, he's not West Ham's majority owner - yet.

Newcastle's owners, Public Investment Fund, are thought to be the richest in world football, with a cumulative wealth that tops $430bn. Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour is worth a fraction of that, at around $20bn, while English football's first super-rich owner, Roman Abramovich, is thought to have asset wealth of roughly $12m.

Quite a lot that, eh?