No bid for West Ham, despite Fernandes claim

Lotus Formula One team boss Tony Fernandes says he wants to buy West Ham – but the bid is news to the owners of the club.

Fernandes used social networking site Twitter to reveal he had made an offer to buy West Ham: “For all you West Ham fans an offer has gone to the present owners of West Ham. Let’s see if they accept,” he tweeted on Wednesday.

West Ham co-owner David Gold, however, said he had not heard of any offer from Fernandes but would be interested in hearing the Malaysian entrepreneur out.

“It’s absolute news to me, I certainly haven’t heard any information regarding this – it’s interesting,” Gold said.

Co-owner David Sullivan denied a bid had been forthcoming for club, whose relegation from the English Premier League to the Championship was confirmed on May 15.

“We’ve received no offer from Tony Fernandes. We think any serious bidder would make it in private,” Sullivan said.

Gold agreed with Sullivan that it was improbable the 47-year-old would choose to make an approach this way, but said he was open to the idea of him coming on board.

“We’re interested in finances coming into the club, we welcome that,” Gold said.

“I certainly would be very happy to sit down with Tony with a view to him joining the board and bringing in desperately needed finance.”

New West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said he did not believe Sullivan wanted to sell the club.

“My information, having spoken to David Sullivan, was that he did not want to sell West Ham football club, because it is his club,” Allardyce told Sky Sports. “It is the club he has always supported.”

“That was one of the reasons why I took the job, because I didn’t want any fractions in terms of change of ownership.”

“My reputation has already suffered wrongly by new ownerships at Newcastle and Blackburn dispensing of my services when there was no real credibility in that other than the fact that they were new owners and didn’t want me.”

“It wasn’t down to results, it wasn’t down to the way I have performed as a manager, so, if that’s the case and that materialises then obviously I am surprised at that.”