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Word of warning before proceeding, take anything reported by The Sun with a grain of salt. That said, the always reputable rag reported that American Clark Hunt is in the mix to possibly buy West Ham United. Hunt, the son of the late Lamar Hunt who was one of the main architects of MLS, currently owns the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. Should this rumor actually come to fruition, Hunt would join Stan Kroenke in owning an MLS team (Colorado Rapids) and a Premier League team (Arsenal, which he owns 28 percent).
To say West Ham finances are in shambles is an understatement. The short story is the club was purchased by Icelandic investors in 2006. Things were running smoothly until the world economy crashed, with the banking system of Iceland practically crippled.
So yeah, the current ownership group -- CB Holdings -- would likely sell at the first good offer.
Is that good offer going to come from Hunt? Unlike some of the other American investors in the Premier League cash cow -- the Glazers and Tom Hicks/George Gillett come immediately to mind -- Hunt does actually have a background and appreciation for soccer. However a the jump from the essentially socialist structure of MLS to the free market madness of the Premier League might be a shock to the system. I'd guess West Ham supporters would be thrilled to gain some stability from the ownership box, yet it's not as if Hunt has the money to throw around like a Middle Eastern oil tycoon.
I'd be nice to ask Hunt if he was influenced to look into West Ham United to any degree by last summer's friendly between the Crew and Hammers when a couple supporters decided it would be a perfect time to flex some beer muscles.
