Exclusive: West Ham set for crushing £24m+ hit
West Ham are set to be more than £24million down on their anticipated Premier League prize money for this season, sources have told Football Insider.
The east London club have endured a disappointing first half of the campaign as they currently sit 16th in the Premier League table after 24 matches.
They have claimed just seven victories in the league and are out of every cup competition following several below-par performances.
West Ham recorded a ninth-place finish under David Moyes last season before he was replaced by Julen Lopetegui in the summer.
They earned around £37.2million in Premier League prize money for 2023-24 as each position is worth approximately £3.1million.
London Stadium chiefs would have been expecting to improve on last season’s finish and potentially challenge for European football again, but Lopetegui was sacked in January on the back of his poor start.
Graham Potter has won just one of his five games in charge since being appointed as the Spaniard’s successor last month.
Sources have told Football Insider West Ham’s current league position would bank them £15.5million, which is around £24.8million down on their anticipated earnings for the campaign.
West Ham chief personally persuaded Evan Ferguson to agree deal
Lopetegui was heavily backed by West Ham’s hierarchy in the summer transfer window after spending more than £120million on nine new additions.
It was a relatively quiet January at the London Stadium as Evan Ferguson’s loan deal marked the only new signing, while James Ward-Prowse had his loan spell at Nottingham Forest cut short.
Football Insider revealed on 5 February Potter personally persuaded Ferguson to join West Ham after previously working with the forward at Brighton.
The East Londoners are in a strong financial position after their revenue increased from £236.7million in 2022-23 to a club-record figure of £269.8million last season.
West Ham want to match Brighton after new hire confirmed
London Stadium chiefs are already making plans for the summer transfer window after appointing Kyle Macaulay as their new head of recruitment following technical director Tim Steidten’s exit.
The Scotsman, who previously worked with Potter at Ostersunds, Swansea City, Brighton and Chelsea, will now head up the club’s recruitment strategy after making the move across London from Stamford Bridge.
Finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider West Ham want to match Brighton following their recent success in the transfer market.
Potter is preparing his side to face Brentford at the London Stadium on Saturday (15 February) as they look to start moving up the Premier League table.
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