West Ham United’s owners may be forced to eat some humble pie by Tottenham Hotspur chief Daniel Levy.
There is no love lost between West Ham and Tottenham both on the terraces and in the boardroom.
Previously countless players have changed hands between the two clubs. From Bobby Zamora and Jermain Defoe to Matty Etherington and Scott Parker.
But the London rivals have not conducted any business for years.
The history of a bitter feud
And it dates back fives years ago in the 10-year tenure of David Sullivan and David Gold at West Ham.
The Hammers chiefs vowed never to do business with Tottenham chairman Levy again after a transfer saga involving striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
Co-owner Gold said at the time (as reported by the likes of The Mirror): “No matter how hard you try, there are people out there that you just can’t do business with” after the Spurs chairman intervened at the 11th hour to pull the plug on outcast Adebayor’s deadline day move to east London back in 2015.
It isn’t just rivalry and transfer dealings that have soured relations between West Ham and Tottenham, though.
Spurs also infuriated the Hammers with their legal challenge over the awarding of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham and the inference that Levy was happy to move Tottenham to East London.
‘Two can play that game’
The battle was so bitter it even reached the courts as Karren Brady, West Ham United’s vice-chairman, had her mobile telephone records “unlawfully obtained by subterfuge” at the height of the ill-tempered contest with Spurs over the stadium, as reported by the Independent at the time.
Now, according to a new report from Football Insider, Levy has turned the tables on Sullivan and Gold by mimicking their hard-nosed stance and effectively saying ‘two can play that game’.
West Ham reportedly want Spurs outcast Victor Wanyama to strengthen their midfield in January.
Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos are said to be long-term admirers of the Kenya international and believe he could be just what West Ham need alongside Declan Rice and Mark Noble.
But Football Insider claims a Tottenham source has told them Levy will veto any deal due to the frosty relations in the boardroom.
Levy is not one for turning.
West Ham must accept defeat and move on to other targets
Sullivan and Gold could be made to regret drawing such a definitive line in the sand back in 2015.
West Ham can surely find an alternative from elsewhere, though.
The harsh truth is ageing Colombian Carlos Sanchez is simply not up to it.
West Ham beat Southampton 1-0 last time out. But they almost allowed the Saints back into the game when he came on to supposedly help shore things up.
West Ham should not waste any time trying to change Levy’s mind and move on to other targets.
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