Mills: West Ham handed top-four boost after £10m reveal
Fans might not like it but a cash bonus will help motivate the West Ham squad to qualify for the Champions League, according to Danny Mills.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Leeds United and England defender insisted the bonus would be pointless if it did not spur the players on.
The Athletic reported on Thursday (13 January) the West Ham squad will share a bonus of between £8million and £10million if they finish in the top-four this season.
The Irons have never qualified for Europe’s elite competition and missed out by just two points last season.
They currently sit in fourth but fifth-place Arsenal have two games in hand while Spurs, who occupy sixth, have four games in hand over West Ham.
“For some it will be an extra motivation,” Mills told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“Of course, it will be – that’s why it’s called a bonus.
“Players will do whatever they can to win but if there’s that extra little carrot it will help. Why have a bonus at all if it’s not there to add a little bit of something then what’s the point?
“We had bonuses to get to the Champions League group stages when I was at Leeds and you think ‘Maybe we’ll go all out to win the qualifying games’.
“Whether people like it or not, that’s the whole point of bonus. That extra little bit of incentive.
“People might say ‘They’ve got enough money’ but it doesn’t matter. If there’s extra money on offer, you’re going to try a little bit harder for it.”
In other news, West Ham are ‘working’ on signing a ‘superstar’ after a David Moyes reveal.