Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 22 April 2026 18:30, UK

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West Ham United must avoid relegation from the Premier League at all costs this season after seeing what has happened to Leicester City.

The Foxes were relegated from the Championship on Tuesday, just four years after finishing eighth in the Premier League and only 10 years after winning it.

It has been a dramatic collapse for Leicester, who were only relegated from the top flight last season.

Sunderland and Luton Town have both recently experienced how quickly relegation from the Premier League can result in a free-fall drop down the leagues, and the Hammers will be afraid of a similar fate.

West Ham’s form has seen them rise out of the relegation zone, but they remain just two points above Tottenham going into the final five games.

West Ham would face financial ruin if relegated

Football Insider exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Konstantinos Mavropanos wants to leave West Ham this summer, and the defender will be joined by several others if they are relegated.

The likes of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville will be snapped up by Premier League clubs, and the Hammers will be forced to seek new signings throughout the squad.

West Ham even took advantage of the same situation at Leicester, signing Mads Hermansen last summer, while the likes of Kasey McAteer, James Justin and Bilal El Khannouss also left.

The Foxes kept some of their best players in Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi, but the effects of relegation have been devastating.

Tuesday’s relegation marked a hugely damaging day for the club, and it could be West Ham’s future if they are not careful.

Like Leicester, the Hammers have been on a downward spiral since 2022 and have never been closer to relegation than this season.

The financial situation at the London Stadium is already bleak under the ownership of David Sullivan – relegation could be a blow too big to immediately recover from.

The last time West Ham were relegated

West Ham were relegated at the end of the 2010-11 season, finishing rock bottom of the Premier League after attaining just 33 points.

They appointed Sam Allardyce and made several good signings, including Ricardo Vaz Te, who would ultimately fire them to promotion via the play-offs.

But football is in a very different place financially, and the decision-makers at West Ham are not trusted to make the correct decisions again.

Relegation could be far more damaging this summer, and the Irons must avoid it at all costs, or risk ending up like Leicester.