Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has picked out West Ham United as a big future threat to their success amid takeover talk.
One result of West Ham’s rapid rise under former Man United boss David Moyes in recent years is that they have not only closed the gap on the pitch but are competing with them in the transfer market too.
West Ham’s performances so far this season have not matched the previous two, leaving the Hammers in a precarious position in the table just one point above the bottom three approaching the halfway stage.
Manchester United finally look like a club on the up under Ten Hag, who must now juggle raised expectations against the backdrop of takeover talk at Old Trafford.
Last month Hammers News reported how West Ham fans may join their Man United counterparts in their dislike for the Glazer family after they put the Red Devils up for sale.
West Ham have also had their own trials and tribulations with owners David Sullivan, David Gold and vice-chairman Karren Brady before the arrival of Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky as the club’s second biggest stakeholder last year.
There is uncertainty over Kretinsky’s ambitions at West Ham and whether he wants to eventually complete a full takeover.
According to The Daily Mirror, billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was targeting a potential West Ham takeover.
But he is believed to have now switched his attentions to Manchester United after the Glazers put the club up for sale.
Moyes was backed with £170m to sign eight players in the summer. And regardless of their lowly league position right now, that has not gone unnoticed in the manager’s office at Old Trafford.
Because Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has picked out West Ham as big future threat to success amid takeover talk.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Sport, Ten Hag has said he believes the sale of Manchester United would be a “good thing” as he looks to compete not only with cash-rich Manchester City and Newcastle but West Ham too.
“There will be more investment possible which is good…” Ten Hag told BBC Sport.
“It will be even better because more money will become available for this project.
“There’s a change in circumstances when you compare [the Premier League] with five or 10 years ago. The competition is much tougher.
“Newcastle are coming, even West Ham, maybe not now in the table but they have huge investment. Spurs definitely and I don’t need to talk about City and Liverpool or Chelsea. You can quickly count seven or eight clubs that can compete in this league.”
West Ham fans will hope the owners continue to invest wisely and heavily when needed to continue the progression of recent seasons.
Whether Moyes is the man heading that up long-term appears to very much depend on how quickly West Ham can turn their season around when the action gets back underway next weekend.
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