Jason Burt has written an article for the Telegraph suggesting that Tony Fernandes is about to bit for the club, in addition to Intermarket, who, according to Burt, are going to submit their own bid tomorrow.
Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes appears poised to launch a takeover bid for West Ham United. Fernandes, the founder and driving force behind the highly successful AirAsia airline, is a lifelong West Ham supporter and has been in sporadic talks about taking a stake in the Premier League club for several months.
Telegraph Sport disclosed in November that Fernandes had met West Ham chairman Andrew Bernhardt in Kuala Lumpur but the pair could not agree a deal. Talks have continued with, it is believed, Fernandes finally deciding that he wants to invest in the club.
Indeed it is possible that a resolution to West Ham�s ownership may be found this week even though the club�s owner, CB Holding, maintains it is in no hurry to sell.
Two other bidders have submitted offers. Last week David Sullivan, the former Birmingham City co-owner, underwent the second stage of the due diligence process. On Monday night the Intermarket Group claimed it had met Rothschild, the bank that has been engaged by Bernhardt to sift through the offers, and will formally submit a bid in writing on Tuesday.
Even so, it is Fernandes�s bid that has caused the greatest excitement given his track-record for innovative ideas, flair and growing businesses as well as his passion for sport. He is also team principal of the Lotus Formula One team. The businessman is also firmly committed to supporting manager Gianfranco Zola and met the Italian after the Boxing Day victory over Portsmouth.
Fernandes, 45, is expected to attend Sunday�s league match at home to Wolves and there is a sense of anticipation around West Ham that the club may be able to make a positive announcement prior to the fixture which could provide a launchpad for the rest of their season.
I'm trying not get too excited about a takeover as they always turn out to be full of broken promises...dreams that fade and die, you might say.( Remember Eggy saying the club would be in the CL within 5 years?..ha ha ha).
But the thought of a lifelong fan owning the club (whether its Fernandes or Gold/Sullivan) is pretty cool. The Fernandes option seems the better of the two. Gold etc didn't exactly do a heck of a lot for Brum; while Fernandes is a supporter of GZ (as I am) and I am sure he would be prepared to give GZ the funds he needs to strenghten the squad.
Lets wait and see...