Major blow for West Ham's Karren Brady set to be confirmed in official statement on Monday

A major setback for West Ham supremo Karren Brady is set to be confirmed on Monday.

Hammers vice-chair Brady is a divisive figure at the London Stadium, alongside the club’s largest individual shareholder David Sullivan.

Many fans feel promises were broken following the club’s move to their new stadium in 2016, and a few seasons of relative success on the pitch have done little to heal those wounds.

Tensions have been exacerbated recently because the club’s decision to implement a controversial new concessions ticketing policy, which some fans allege is effectively pricing out the club’s bedrock support.

Looking at the broader landscape of the club, the GSB regime appear to be courting external investment.

Vanessa Gold, widow of the late David Gold, is looking for buyers for a significant chunk of her 25.1 per cent stake in he club.

And the fact that GSB implemented a put-and-call clause in their agreement with fellow minority investor Daniel Kretinsky to take a controlling stake for a set price indicates that they are open to a full takeover.

With Kretinsky preoccupied with his takeovers of the Royal Mail and French IT firm Atos, it doesn’t look like a West Ham buyout is top of his agenda at present.

That means Brady, who was recently dispatched to the Middle East to find new investors, will have to find an alternative source if the ownership of the club is to change any time soon.

However, recent politic developments could impact the value of any would-be takeover – if Sullivan and Brady’s prediction is correct, in any case.

Regulator hated by West Ham chiefs set to be announced

Brady and Sullivan have both explicitly stated their opposition to the introduction of a government-backed independent regulator for English football.

A policy proposal for the independent regulator was making its way through Parliament until the general election was called earlier this summer, halting its progress.

Now, with a new Labour government, plans for the independent regulator are likely to change – and not in the direction that Brady, Sullivan and many other Premier League owners want.

New sports minister Lisa Nandy has expressed her commitment to independent regulation and has said it is a top priority for her department.

In her regular column for The Sun, Brady has written several separate attacks on the proposed body, calling it an “own goal” for the Premier League as recently as March.

She will likely therefore be deeply unhappy that, as relayed by The Guardian, plans for the regulator will be included in the king’s speech on Monday, the new government’s opportunity to set out its legislative agenda for the year.

• READ MORE WEST HAM FINANCE NEWS: West Ham get major takeover clue amid £1bn news from France

TBR Analysis: Why are West Ham opposed to independent regulator?

Brady believes that independent regulation will damage the Premier League’s ability to attract foreign investment.

That, in turn, would impact the price that the GSB regime will one day be able to recoup for West Ham.

She is not alone in this concern.

A number of owners and chairs of Premier League clubs have spoken out against the regulator, which they believe will reduced autonomy, increase bureaucracy and waste public funds.

Conversely, the regulator has the overwhelming support of fans. Indeed, the existing proposal for a regulator was based on Tracey Crouch MP’s Fan-Led Review of Football Governance.

In its current proposed form, the regulator would have the power to prevent clubs from changing club colours or joining breakaway leagues.

It may also have the ability to enforce Profit and Sustainability Rules through real-time monitoring and increase solidarity payments from the Premier League to the EFL.