Leading football finance expert Kieran Maguire has made a West Ham transfer money claim that will leave fans stunned.
West Ham are facing up to the fact they will need to be very busy in the summer transfer window.
Fans are expectant too.
The Hammers currently six first team players out of contract at the end of the season.
Quality signings are also needed in a host of other positions and that won’t come cheap.
The anticipated sale of Lucas Paqueta to Man City for £85m would obviously boost the manager’s kitty.
But there is also the spectre of the Premier League implementing new PSR rules this summer.
Hammers face prospect of a busy summer window
That new system will be aligned with the squad cost-to-revenue ratio contained within UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).
So technical director Tim Steidten and the owners face a difficult juggling act.
But that may be more difficult than the Hammers imagined.
Because Kieran Maguire has made a West Ham transfer money revelation that will leave fans stunned.
And not in a positive way.
West Ham in top six – for money owed in transfer fees
According to the author of the Price of Football books and co-host of the podcasts by the same name, latest accounts show West Ham owe others clubs a whopping £171m in transfer fee instalments.
The figures are accurate as of last summer and show West Ham are in the top six in terms of money owed to other clubs in transfer fees.
West Ham’s finances will obviously be offset somewhat by the £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal.
But with so much work required on the squad this summer, that massive sum is a real concern.
“At end of 21/22 season, Premier League clubs owed over £1.8 billion to other clubs for transfer fee instalments,” Maguire said alongside the graph.
“By the summer of 2023 that figure has increased to over £2.5 billion and we have yet to see the total for Chelsea, which is expected to be much higher than 2022.”
Rice sale and low operating loss could help
Earlier this week football finance expert Kieran Maguire made a staggering find when looking at football club accounts.
West Ham have the lowest operating loss of any club in the 2023 accounts bar the only side to make a profit – Brentford.
Maguire compared day to day losses pre player sales and interest costs for Prem clubs in the 2023 accounts.
It shows Brentford made a £4m operating profit.
But West Ham made an operating loss of £12m – the lowest of any club.
Maguire has previously spoken to Hammers News in detail about what new PSR rules would mean for West Ham.
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