Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani will try to buy West Ham if he fails in his takeover attempts at Manchester United, according to El Pais.
The Spanish newspaper reported on Saturday (20 May) that Sheikh Jassim, a Qatari banker, was “stunned” by the Glazers’ move to raise their price tag of Man United from £5.2billion to £6billion.
Sheikh Jassim, who is the president of the Islamic Bank of Qatar (BIQ) had hinted that he was willing to pay the initial £5.2billion needed to buy the Red Devils.
However, it is understood that West Ham are now an “alternative” for Qatar’s former Prime Minister, who has a net worth of just under £1billion [Forbes].
Incredible
West Ham definitely need some fresh impetus from behind the scenes and a takeover from Sheikh Jassim could help in doing just that.
However, a takeover at the London Stadium wouldn’t be easy due to the number of shareholders who are currently in power at the club.
Daniel Kretisnky is more than likely going to become our new full owner at some point but there’s also David Sullivan and the estate of the late David Gold that comes into play.
It all seems quite unlikely – but it could be quite incredible if it all does come off.
Middle Eastern billionares are pouring into European football right now and West Ham would no doubt benefit massively.
We’ve seen how well Newcastle have done already since their Saudi takeover and while the backing from Sheikh Jassim wouldn’t be quite like what there is in the North-East, it’s a show of how something of the sort can benefit a team.
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