‘The ambition is to win those three’ – David Sullivan sets out lofty West Ham aims ahead of 17-18
By Russell Edge
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has said that the club will begin the season with the lofty aim of winning all three of the competitions they are involved in.
Unlike the last two seasons, the Hammers will not be involved in Europa League qualifiers, meaning they will compete for the Premier League, the League Cup and the FA Cup throughout the 2017/18 campaign.
The club’s last major honour came back in 1980 when they picked up the FA Cup, while their last final came in the same competition back in 2006, when they lost out to Liverpool on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
However, Sullivan says that he aims for that the change, stating that he and the board would be happy if they could pick up any one of the three bits of silverware available to them.
However, he insists that they will begin the season looking to secure a domestic treble, an ambitious aim considering it has never been achieved.
He told the Jim White Show on talkSPORT (Tuesday, 10:00 – 13:00): “We start the season in three [competitions] and the ambition is to win those three trophies.
“Any one of them would please the board. I’d love to go to Wembley and win a cup.
“Leicester [winning the Premier League] was something we all thought could not happen, but they showed it can happen.”
The Hammers have invested huge amounts of money into their squad this summer, with Marko Arnautovic joining for a reported £24million, while while former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez arrived in a £16million deal.
However, Sullivan claims that if the club are to secure a trophy this season, it will come down to more than just the signings they have made, with the 68-year-old stating that they deserve a bit more luck when it comes to the cups.
“We have been very unlucky with the draws [in the cups],” he told talkSPORT.
“Last year [in the EFL Cup] we beat Chelsea at home then got Man United away in the next round, I mean you are not going to win anything with draws like that.
“Then we get Man City in the third round of the FA Cup, Arsenal [the eventual winners] get non-league teams!
“We are due an easy, easy cup draw.”
West Ham kick off their Premier League campaign with a visit to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on August 13, while they will enter the League Cup at the second round.
In other West Ham news, Sullivan made a bold claim about this new arrival.
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