Stefan Borson drops West Ham spending power update, takeover verdict shared
West Ham fans have made their feelings known about the club’s owners following their disappointing start to the season.
Graham Potter was sacked as the West Ham manager on 27 September after his side claimed just one win from their opening six games in all competitions.
West Ham have since hired Nuno Espirito Santo as Potter’s replacement, but the Portuguese boss has failed to win any of his first four matches in charge.
Some West Ham fans boycotted the game against Brentford on 20 October in protest against the club’s ownership.
The Bees claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory at the London Stadium, where the official attendance wasn’t announced by the Hammers.
West Ham fans make January transfer demand
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider West Ham are likely to have limited funds available in the January transfer window without agreeing a takeover deal.
West Ham fans protested against their owners before their 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last month, with calls for majority shareholder David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to leave.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I suspect the fans want a bit more money spent on the squad in January, but it’s not straightforward.
“Loads of teams want to do better than they’re doing. They want to buy better and have a better hit rate on transfers. We know it’s an extremely competitive market.
“It does look like a very unhappy club generally, not just now but even after it won the Conference League, it still found a way to want to get rid of the manager that had done that. The fans didn’t like the style of play. Well, you can understand that, but what’s the ultimate end game?
“They’ve hired managers that are on paper good managers. They could have spent more, but every club can spend more. Maybe the wage bill could be a little bit higher. They are a tightly run club. I mean, they’re not at levels that are noticeably out of kilter with their general position.”
The Hammers currently sit second-bottom in the Premier League table and are four points from safety after nine games.
Could West Ham agree takeover deal soon?
A potential West Ham takeover has been talked about for several months following the club’s recent struggles on the pitch.
However, Borson insisted it doesn’t appear as though a sale is likely to be agreed in the near future.
“It’s a very challenging situation for everybody involved really because there will be relatively limited funds in January,” said Borson.
“I don’t see that that’s going to change dramatically unless the club was sold, and I don’t know if there’s any sign it’s going to be sold. With limited investment, you would think that the second half of the season would be quite similar.
“Look, I guess it becomes a different level if you start to get into relegation trouble, but West Ham have got a squad that should never be anywhere near relegation trouble.”
West Ham are set to take on Newcastle United in their next game at the London Stadium on Sunday (2 November).
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