David Sullivan has only been out of the door a month at West Ham United, yet Daniel Kretinsky has already brought in more money to the London Stadium in one summer than the former chairman ever did.
The summer of 2026 is set to become the most lucrative in Hammers’ history.
The frustration of Mateus Fernandes‘ move to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur was eased by the size of the fee. 85 million banknotes certainly helps dry up the tears. And now West Ham United are set to enjoy a further £68 million windfall as Summerville nears a move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal.
£70m for Summerville! Where does this rank among West Ham’s best-ever sales?
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Ignoring Lucas Paqueta – as many in East London tend to do these days – Sullivan’s last big sale was Mohammed Kudus in the summer of 2025.
The narrative at the time was that Sullivan ‘buckled’ en route to a £54.5 million – allowing West Ham’s most hated neighbours to snatch Kudus for lower than his initial asking price.
No one could accuse the iron-willed Kretinsky of bending under similar market pressures twelve months later, however.
West Ham United to bring in £155m for Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville
“Sully would’ve taken £26m for Cry…” one of Hammers News’ Talking Point users quips. “And £50m for Fernandes.”
“About time we had someone who knows how to do a deal,” writes another.
“I really think we have done extremely good business so far in this window, setting ourselves up nicely for the future.”
Last summer, an immovable force emerged victorious over a very, well, pliable object. Daniel Levy was never going to stump up the sort of eye-watering fee West Ham wanted for Kudus. Sullivan blinked first.
Kretinsky, when going eyeball-to-eyeball with Manchester United, Tottenham and Roma, kept his stare icy and unblinking. Kretinsky knew that Spurs were desperate and, in the post-Levy era, financially reckless.
While Man United had the good sense not to blow their budget on one overpriced midfielder, Spurs gladly deposited £85 million into West Ham’s previously-cobwebbed coffers. £85 million up front, by the way.
While that £68 million Al Hilal offer dropped like a bolt from the deepest blue on Wednesday afternoon, Kretinsky’s decision to stand firm in the midst of multiple AS Roma offers would be vindicated emphatically.
Daniel Kretinsky justified in rejecting Roma’s Summerville bids
Roma made a series of bids for Summerville, albeit while staying below his £50 million release clause.
Al Hilal have not only blown the Giallorossi out the water by going above and beyond – offering some £30 million more than Roma were planning to part with – they have also helped to enhance Daniel Kretinsky’s reputation as a man who will not be moved.
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Sullivan ‘buckled’. Kretinsky, in the space of a few short weeks, becomes the driving force behind two of West Ham’s biggest-ever sales.
One in the eye, certainly, for those who said that relegation would pave the way for an exodus of key players on bargain deals.
“What a difference having ‘DK’ pulling the purse-strings makes,” another Hammers News reader says. “Summerville had a release clause in his contract so it was going to be impossible to keep him. And do I think [Sullivan] would have got that amount for both? Never in a million years.”
“If Sullivan was still in charge, he would have accepted a mouldy sarny and a couple of bottle tops for each player just to get them off the wage list.”
“One thing for certain is, if Sullivan was currently the main man, we would have been shafted in both of these deals.”
“At last, a chairman with financial nous when it comes to selling our players.”
“As an Aussie based Hammers supporter from the Land Down Under, great to see the approach being adopted by our new majority owner/shareholder. As many respondents have rightly suggested, Sullivan would have sold these players for peanuts.”
“Just keep on trusting Kretinsky, as he is doing sensible business and proving what we all knew; that the old regime didn’t have a clue or had a different objective than being a successful football club. Kretinsky and the recruitment team are doing an excellent job keeping things out of the public domain and doing business the right way.”
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