There is no lack of irony as West Ham are relying on a huge £80m helping hand from Frank Lampard when Coventry take on Sunderland.
There is absolutely no love lost between West Ham fans and Academy of Football graduate Frank Lampard.
But there is no denying the former midfielder turned manager has done a remarkable job at Coventry, who face Sunderland in the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final on Tuesday night.
Sunderland hold a 2-1 lead over Coventry from the first leg – but West Ham will be very interested spectators for the Stadium of Light clash.
West Ham share a fierce rivalry with Sheffield United – who await the winner in the final.
West Ham banking on £80m favour from Lampard
It all stems from the Carlos Tevez saga 18 years ago – when the Hammers beat Man United at Old Trafford in the last game of what’s now known as ‘The Great Escape’ to send the Blades down.
That is for another day, though, as West Ham are interested in the Black Cats’ clash with Coventry for different reasons altogether.
West Ham are banking on an £80m boost from Lampard as Coventry face Sunderland.
The summer transfer window opens in just over two weeks.
The Hammers are planning a major rebuild for Graham Potter – although they must sell players in order to raise money to buy.
West Ham have the oldest squad in the Premier League at nearly 29 years of age.
West Ham’s new head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay is working with Potter to drive that age down with their summer revamp. Over the weekend the club announced they are shaving 139 years off the squad by releasing four senior players.
The Championship is going to be a key focus for the Irons this summer according to reports.
The second tier has always provided the best value and success rate for West Ham transfer business historically.
Hammers eyeing up to five Sunderland stars
Aaron Cresswell, who is 36 next season, is one of the players being released by the Hammers but still looks good 11 years after joining from Ipswich for just £3.5m.
Coventry and Sunderland both put West Ham to shame with the average age of their squads at 25 and 24 respectively – more in line with the majority of Premier League clubs.
As part of West Ham’s summer remodel, the club are reportedly planning a raid on Sunderland for a number of their stars.
Sunderland AFC News recently confirmed a number of the club’s players could join the Hammers this summer.
Why West Ham need Coventry to beat Sunderland
Reports have consistently linked West Ham with Black Cats ace Chris Rigg among others.
In addition to Rigg, West Ham have reportedly been tracking a range of Sunderland players for most of the season, including Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil, Romain Mundle and Eliezer Mayenda.
Varying valuations have been quoted for the quintet, averaging at around £15-20m each.
And while it is highly unlikely West Ham will push to sign all of them, the Sunderland News report states the Hammers do want ‘multiple’.
That’s where Lampard now comes in.
A target of West Ham boo boys since he demanded to leave for Chelsea all those years ago, Lampard could now go from zero to hero, in the Hammers boardroom at least.
If Sunderland get promoted then it would almost certainly rule out West Ham getting their hands on any of their emerging talents.
So the Irons are banking on Lampard to lead his Coventry side to victory over the Black Cats, which would make them much easier pickings.
If Coventry do advance to the final at Sunderland’s expense then West Ham fans will want another favour from Lampard against Sheffield United – but that will have nothing to do with transfers.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
