Having built a business empire giving him an estimated net worth of $10billion according to Forbes, the thought of Daniel Kretinsky not closing a deal would be hard to imagine.The Czech billionaire has seen off competition from former Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley and is set to become West Ham’s largest shareholder. Staveley led a consortium with the intention of purchasing Vanessa Gold’s 25.1 per cent stake, but Kretinsky has struck a deal with the Championship club’s remaining shareholders to increase his ownership share from 27 per cent to 46 per cent.It has ended the uncertainty surrounding the ownership and represents a fresh start, of sorts, for the owner of Royal Mail.But how much control does this give Kretinsky? Where does this leave Staveley and her attempts to earn a seat on West Ham’s board? Is David Sullivan looking to reduce his own stake or ultimately leave? And does this development change anything around head coach Nuno Espirito Santo?Prior to Saturday’s 3-0 home win against Derby County, courtesy of goals from Joel Piroe, Edvin Austbo and Mohamadou Kante, off-field matters would have been foremost in most supporters’ minds.The Athletic has spoken to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, all of whom spoke anonymously to protect their positions, to explore how the land lies following Friday’s news that Kretinsky is increasing his stake in the club.What exactly has Kretinsky agreed to buy? And what percentage of West Ham will he own if the deal is completed?Kretinsky’s stake will increase from 27 per cent to 46 per cent, which enables the Czech billionaire to become West Ham’s largest shareholder.The 51-year-old, who is also the co-owner of Czech side Sparta Prague and wasn’t in attendance at the London Stadium on Saturday, initially purchased a 26.99 per cent stake for £182.5million in 2021 via his investment group 1890s Holdings. On Friday, Kretinsky outlined how “deeply honoured” he is in a press release.The deal should be finalised next week, and West Ham’s ownership structure is set to be tiered as follows: Kretinsky on 46 per cent, Sullivan with 40 per cent (up from 38.8), Albert ‘Tripp’ Smith, who has been a shareholder since 2017, on 11 per cent, and Terry Brown and Daniel Harris among the minority shareholders.Daniel Kretinsky is set to become West Ham’s largest shareholder (Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images)Does becoming the largest shareholder give Kretinsky any greater control? Yes, after Sullivan’s resignation, he is not expected to return to the board and is open to selling his stake in the club. It represents the beginning of a genuine change of power at West Ham from the 77-year-old to Kretinsky.Behind the scenes, the Czech has formed a team to assist him. Jiri Svarc, Kretinsky’s right-hand man, played an integral role in contract negotiations when club captain Jarrod Bowen committed his immediate future.Kretinsky has already grown more influential in the last 12 months. In May, he was involved in Nuno remaining in post following relegation to the Championship. Before the start of the 2025-26 season, Kretinsky also strongly opposed a pitch from other board members for Graham Potter to be sacked. Are supporters concerned?Confirmation that Sullivan has increased his stake has caused an angry response among plenty of West Ham fans on social media.Sullivan resigned as vice-chairman in June over allegations — which he has called “factually incorrect and entirely false” — made against him.Hammers United, a West Ham supporters group, published a statement which read: “When we launched the No More BS campaign on August 27, 2025, our demands were unequivocal. We called for Karren Brady and David Sullivan to resign from their executive roles, and have no further involvement in the running of West Ham United, and that the remaining board appoint competent, professional replacements who would put the interests of the football club and its supporters first.“Brady and Sullivan have now resigned, new executives have been appointed, thousands of our members have renewed their season tickets, while thousands who had vowed never to buy a season ticket while the previous regime remained in place have now returned to the club. Many of those season tickets were purchased on the understanding that David Sullivan would no longer be part of the West Ham United picture.“Yet our members are now raising serious concerns about his continued presence and involvement at matches, both home and away, and about the influence he may still retain. That cannot simply be brushed aside.“We need to know what the future governance and leadership structure of West Ham United will look like, what involvement David Sullivan will continue to have, and where the real decision-making authority now sits. Real change cannot simply mean reshuffling the percentages while the same influence remains behind the scenes.”Why does Kretinsky want additional shares now?In June, the billionaire gave a rare interview to Czech podcast Vsechno zacina dnes and discussed his inability to make changes, being part of important conversations and wanting to remain at the club.“It kinda helps that you don’t have the ultimate responsibility, so you don’t feel you messed up something for the fans,” said Kretinsky. “But I’ve found my stress limit here, too. We’ve made mistakes in the past that have cost us relegation.‘Definitely (I will stay on). It doesn’t matter if we’re in first or the second tier. That’s not a reason to abandon the club. A reason for that would be if we could not agree on a strategy with other shareholders, but not a relegation.”With Kretinsky set to officially assume greater control than Sullivan, he will no longer be overruled in his decision-making.West Ham beat Derby County 3-0 on Saturday (Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)What happens next in terms of Staveley’s interest in buying shares in West Ham?Staveley and the consortium she fronted have not lost hope of joining West Ham’s board. Although she had initially intended to purchase Gold’s shares, the former Newcastle United co-owner is thought to be open to the idea of purchasing a bigger stake in the club.Staveley, who attended West Ham’s 4-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek, intends to release a statement soon clarifying her position.Is there any indication that Kretinsky could buy Sullivan’s shares next?The Athletic reported on June 8 that Sullivan is open to ending his 16-year association with West Ham by selling his stake. A source with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, says that remains the case and this is an option that Kretinsky may explore.Does this change anything around Nuno, the football structure or the way the club is being run?In the short-term, no.Nuno is not under immediate pressure following West Ham’s initial slow start to the season. The Championship side have sealed eight points from a possible 15 in their opening league fixtures against Burnley, Charlton Athletic, Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and now Derby.The head coach was backed in the summer transfer window following the additions of Piroe, Austbo, Arne Engels, Manor Solomon, Divine Mukasa, Adama Boiro, Keiber Lamadrid and Joel Veltman.