West Ham’s financial situation is pretty desperate at the worst possible time with so many signings needed for Graham Potter’s rebuild – but the club appear to be leaving no stone unturned.
The Hammers revealed their next accounts will show a £100m plus loss in December.
West Ham say there is no wiggle room for signings this summer due to PSR, meaning Graham Potter’s budget is restricted entirely to whatever the Hammers can raise through sales.
Even then the Hammers board have made it clear Potter may only get 75 per cent of funds raised due to the way PSR accounting works regarding how much the club still owes on the player being sold.
The situation is made all the more concerning given just how much work there is to do in order to revamp a team that has underperformed for 18 months.
Potter said he would ‘in an ideal world’ have new arrivals to work with in pre-season.
But West Ham will reconvene for pre-season in two weeks.
Cash-strapped Hammers desperate to raise funds
And there has been little sign of the club offloading any one of the number of players who are up for sale this summer transfer window – let alone making a signing.
Cashflow is a major problem for the Irons right now.
West Ham took unprecedented action by bringing forward season ticket renewals by over two months to March with added incentives for signing up early.
Only Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are considered untouchable this summer.
Now it seems the Hammers are so cash-strapped they’ve resorted to selling something fans would never expect.
But while it paints a worrying picture, there could still be light at the end of the tunnel for the Hammers in the coming days and weeks.
You could say West Ham are open to selling anything that’s not nailed down this summer.
However, that would not be strictly true.
Because West Ham have emailed season ticket holders offering the opportunity to ‘own a piece of history’ by buying one of the Hammers’ official ‘dugout seats’ from the London Stadium.
The Hammers describe it as a ‘unique opportunity’ and say supporters can use them in a home office, as a novelty item or as a gaming chair.
The direct email to fans states: “Own a piece of history with our limited dugout seats. A unique opportunity to own a genuine piece of West Ham United history.
West Ham selling off their official London Stadium dugout seats
“A limited number of official claret and blue dugout seats are now available to buy. In a comfortable, high-quality leather and finished with the Club crest stitched into the backrest, each seat is a lasting symbol of Hammers history. Ideal for a home office, novelty item, or a game chair.”
No it is not April 1st.
The club cannot be knocked for its entrepreneurial spirit even if it feels more Del Boy and Rodney than Karren Brady’s The Apprentice.
Why the club is selling the dugout seats is a mystery.
Perhaps they are being updated or upgraded which would explain why the current ones are being sold off.
But it highlights how keen the club are to make money in any way they possibly can.
It’s been all doom and gloom in the window so far and the selling of the dugout seats might not be a good look given what we know about the finances.
But there is some hope for the Hammers.
It is absolutely vital the club offloads some players so Potter can start making signings.
The main players the club are looking to sell to raise funds are Mohammed Kudus, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri, Lucas Paqueta, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Guido Rodriguez, Niclas Fullkrug and possibly Edson Alvarez too.
Potter publicly stated he only sees Fullkrug as a back-up striker at best for West Ham.
Still hope as two vital West Ham sales could be on the horizon
His place in the Germany squad means everything to Fullkrug and next summer will likely be his last chance to play in a World Cup for his country.
So he will be pushing for a move too with German clubs and Juventus reportedly interested.
It is Aguerd and Emerson who are likely to be the first deals done.
Bayer Leverkusen now have the money needed to pay for Aguerd with West Ham wanting around £15-17m.
And Erik ten Hag has made him a top target.
Hammers left-back Emerson has a number of clubs interested and a return to Italy or move to Turkey looks on the cards.
Once those deals are done, West Ham can begin making their first forays into the market.
Things will then suddenly start to look a lot brighter as the Hammers pull the trigger on deals.
Just so long as Potter and the substitutes have somewhere to sit.
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