Speculation rife of Malaysian bid to take over West Ham

• zocoss

  29 Dec 09, 12:01

  Talk Of West Ham United Takeover Increases After Tony Fernandes Visit - Report

  
  

  

  
  

  Gianfranco Zola, West Ham United

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Airline tycoon Tony Fernandes visited Upton Park to see West Ham United defeat Portsmouth on Boxing Day, with speculation rife of a renewed bid to take over the club, according to The Daily Telegraph.
  
  The 45 year old Malaysian recently revealed that he had no intention of tendering an offer for the Premier League club as he looks forward to taking over new Formula One team Lotus for the 2010 season.
  
  But Fernandes, who held discussions with Hammers chairman Andrew Bernhardt last month, is not expected to complete a buy-out despite meeting with manager Gianfranco Zola, who fears a January wholesale of his first team given the club's financial quagmire, after the 2-0 win.
  
  The Premier League club have instructed the Rothschild bank to negotiate on their behalf with potential investors, including former Birmingham City co-owner and pornography magnate David Sullivan.
  
  Fernandes, who was educated in England and is a fervent Hammers fan, is believed to be the preferred investor after successfully piloting Air Asia through a turbulent decade for the airline industry.