Billionaire co-owner Daniel Kretinsky offered West Ham a star on a silver platter and now Chelsea or Spurs could make them pay for snubbing him.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be locked in a new transfer battle which could prove embarrassing for West Ham.
You only have to take one look at the Premier League table to realise West Ham and Tottenham have plenty of work to do in the transfer window this summer.
For Chelsea it may be more a case of some fine-tuning.
All three London rivals share one big thing in common, though.
They need to improve defensively.
Kretinsky arrived at West Ham with offer to sign star
That has reportedly put Chelsea and Spurs on a collision course for a new centre-back.
And it will make things a touch awkward in the West Ham boardroom.
Daniel Kretinsky arrived at West Ham in November 2021, buying 27% of the club for £150m.
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It is no coincidence the Hammers have rivalled Tottenham and Chelsea as the sixth biggest spenders in the Premier League since then.
West Ham have a first trophy in 43 years to show for it in that time.
But their failure to accept an offer from Kretinsky just a couple of months after his arrival in east London could come back to haunt the Hammers now.
West Ham snubbed Kretinsky’s offer to sign star, now he’s set for Chelsea or Spurs
Because West Ham snubbed billionaire co-owner Kretinsky’s offer to sign a star and now he’s set for Chelsea or Spurs.
Czech Kretinsky, whose net worth has more than doubled to over £13bn since his arrival in east London, also owns his boyhood club Sparta Prague.
When he arrived at West Ham, Kretinsky recommended the Hammers sign then Sparta defender David Hancko.
West Ham had the chance to sign Hancko for a reasonable fee according to reports at the time from the likes of Give Me Sport.
Sadly passed former Hammers insider Hugh Southon revealed at the time West Ham did look at the centre-back on Kretinsky’s recommendation.
Hammers didn’t think Hancko was up to Premier League
But the Hammers didn’t believe he was ready for the Premier League.
“He’s not ready for the Premier League – maybe one day,” Southon’s West Ham source stated at the time.
Kretinsky went on to sell Hancko to Feyenoord for just £4m in the next window.
Hancko has been one of Feyenoord’s leading players since, racking up 130 appearances in three seasons.
West Ham’s hunch that he wasn’t good enough for the Premier League may have been true at that stage. We will never know.
But the Hammers may find out next season as the 6ft 2in star looks set for a move to either Chelsea or Tottenham.
That’s according to TEAMtalk journalist Rudy Galetti, who has confirmed the Blues and Spurs are set to do battle for Hancko, who is now valued at a whopping £42m.
Galetti says the London rivals have stepped up their interest in the Slovakia defender in recent weeks, especially Chelsea.
West Ham could have signed £42m star for just £4m
The reporter states his sources have confirmed that Chelsea and Tottenham are the two Premier League clubs leading the race for Hancko.
Even Juventus and Atletico Madrid are interested in the man Kretinsky offered to the Hammers for a pittance by modern standards.
The fact he could now be sold to one of the club’s big rivals for 10 times that amount will be galling.
Particularly for Kretinsky, who has a proven track record of knowing how to turn significant profits.
It is another embarrassing transfer clanger to add to a long list for West Ham.
Especially as they club are looking for a new centre-back this summer.
And West Ham’s plan to bring back Nayef Aguerd looks futile according to a top football correspondent.
Next time Kretinsky offers some input, perhaps West Ham should listen.
After all he’s worth £13bn for a reason.