It’s just a few months since West Ham United won their first trophy in more than 40 years with a last-minute 2-1 victory over Fiorentina to win the Europa Conference League final in Prague. The host city was fitting. Czech tycoon Daniel Křetínský has owned around 27 per cent of West Ham since buying the stake for around £160mn in November 2021. Sweeter still, the match was played at the Fortuna Stadium, home to Slavia Prague. Křetínský is co-owner of arch-rivals Athletic Club Sparta Praha, internationally known as Sparta Prague, his boyhood club. Křetínský was once a little-known lawyer. Now, he’s one of Europe’s most prolific dealmakers, with a string of investments in companies including UK supermarket Sainsbury’s, Royal Mail and French newspaper Le Monde. But like any billionaire worth Scoreboard’s time, he’s a man who loves his football. West Ham, he tells the Financial Times , always struck a chord with him, thanks to the club’s distinctive claret and blue home shirts. It al...