Former NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is reportedly eyeing a potential piece of West Ham. Reports out of England claim that the superstar became enthralled with the club after a recent visit across the pond. According to the assertions, Shaq attended a match at West Ham’s London Stadium during the 2023/24 campaign. The former basketball star had a great time at the game.
Assuming the deal does get finalized, Shaq would be next in a long line of American Premier League investors. Clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United are all currently owned by billionaires hailing from the United States.
However, prominent American sports stars have flocked to England to invest in soccer teams as well. For instance, LeBron James became a minority owner of Liverpool back in 2011 after purchasing 2% of the team. He then increased his shares of the Reds a decade later. NFL stars such as Tom Brady and J.J. Watt also invested in English clubs in 2023 as well. Brady bought a small portion of Birmingham City and Watt invested in Burnley.
Select shares of West Ham are currently for sale
While rumors are circulating regarding Shaq’s interest in West Ham, team insiders claim to be unaware of a potential deal. Sources supposedly say that there are no current discussions between the two sides. This, however, does not necessarily mean that the retired NBA star will not eventually make a move.
A portion of the Hammers is up for sale. Vanessa Gold owns these shares. West Ham, unlike many other big European teams, has an array of owners. David Sullivan is currently the club’s top shareholder with a 39% stake in the team. Nevertheless, several other investors hold fairly significant chunks of the top-flight team as well.
The Gold family, led by Vanessa, reportedly owns just over 25% of West Ham. This makes the current co-chair of the club the third-biggest investor at the helm. Despite her position with the Hammers, potential investors would…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/shaq-rumored-to-be-interested-in-west-ham-investment/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-06-27 18:36:28
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