West Ham unaffected by Manchester City ruling
West Ham will not be affected by the recent tribunal findings after Manchester City launched legal action against the Premier League earlier this year over associated party transaction (APT) rules, on the grounds they were anti-competitive.
Manchester City successfully argued that shareholder loans which were often charged at zero percentage interest should also be regarded as associated party transactions like sponsorship deals.
West Ham has no outstanding shareholder loans as they were all paid off when Daniel Kretinsky invested in West Ham in 2021.
David Sullivan and the late David Gold’s long-term shareholder loans of £58.1m between 2011-2014 were paid back to them before Daniel Kretinsky bought 27% of West Ham. The total interest earned over 10 years paid to Gold and Sullivan totalled £23.3m at interest rates between 4% and 7%.
West Ham is one of seven clubs with no shareholder loans including Manchester City who bought the legal case.
The thirteen Premier League clubs with current shareholder loans which could soon count as associated party transactions are:
Fulham: £1m Aston Villa: £10m Nottingham Forest: £23m Crystal Palace: £38m Brentford: £61m Wolves: £65m Liverpool: £71m Bournemouth: £115m Leicester: £132m Chelsea: £146m Arsenal: £259m Brighton: £373m Everton: £451m
One thing that frustrated fans with David Moyes above all else is how long it took him to integrate players into the starting XI. West Ham would sign unbelievable players and have to wait a month or two to see them cement their place in the lineup. Some argue this is down to an unwillingness to take risks, but it seems like they’re starting to realise there was a good reason for this.
Many were expecting Julen Lopetegui to put Jean-Clair Todibo into the back line almost straight away, but this has not been the case. For a while, he had very few minutes but has quickly become a vital player over the last couple of games. Todibo himself has thanked the gaffer for this slow approach.
It seems like this way of working has paid off as, according to GIVEMESPORT, the Frenchman is expected to be a key part of the Hammers’ set up going forward.
The report claims that Julen Lopetegui has been massively impressed with his start to life in claret and blue, and he will partner Max Kilman for the foreseeable future.
