West Ham face summer of £100m debts and player fire sale after relegation – these mistakes by David Sullivan have cost them
Will the last one out of the London Stadium please turn off the lights?
After their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed despite beating Leeds 3-0, West Ham face a summer fire sale.
Jarrod Bowen’s well-taken goal, sandwiched between strikes from Taty Castellanos and Callum Wilson, will surely be his last in the Claret and Blue.
Bowen’s celebrations were as sombre as the Hammers’ half-hearted lap of honour at the end of what has been a disastrous campaign.
Bleak summer ahead
He will now have to have an awkward conversation with father-in-law Danny Dyer about a future away from the East End.
The captain will not be the only big-name departure, with the vultures already circling around Crysencio Summerville and the talented Mateus Fernandes.
Defender Konstantinos Mavropanos was crowned Player of the Year before kick-off and will also have eyes on the exit door while Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi will not be sticking around either.
As talkSPORT revealed last week there are no guarantees Nuno Espirito Santo will stick around to oversee any summer rebuild.
Having racked up debts of over £104m, the unhappy Hammers will have no choice but to cash in on their prize assets.
Stoney-faced Sullivan
That is just one of the reasons angry home fans decides to mark Bowen’s goals by turning their back on the pitch to direct their ire towards watching owner David Sullivan.
Stoney-faced Sullivan was subjected to chants of ‘You sold our soul for this s***hole’.
The simple truth is West Ham supporters have never forgiven Sullivan and now ex-chair Karren Brady for forcing through the move from their spiritual home at Upton Park to the London Stadium.
When that controversial plan was dreamt up, Brady vowed to deliver ‘a first class team in a world class stadium.’
What she, Sullivan and the late David Gold actually served up is a team not fit for the top flight and a stadium more suited to shot putting than sharp shooting.
Instead of the big Champions League nights they were promised, those protesting. supporters can look forward to welcoming the likes of Lincoln and Cardiff in the Championship.
Sullivan was conspicuous by his absence the next time the TV cameras turned their lenses towards his empty seat.
His poor decision-making is the biggest single factor in the Irons dropping into their second tier after 14 seasons.
Replacing European-winning manager David Moyes with the hapless Julen Lopetegui was the start of the Hammers’ slow, painful demise.
Sticking with Lopetegui’s successor Graham Potter for so long when it was clear to see he was floundering was another major error of judgement.
You have also have to question where the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice has gone as recruitment has largely been woeful.
That is why the Hammers faithful have little faith in their board to make the rights calls to bring them straight back up and why the demonstrations will go on.
Nuno non-committal on future
When asked about what the future holds for him, Hammers boss Nuno said in his post-match press conference: “It’s not about me.
“We are in a tough place and West Ham has to go back in the Premier League. But now we have to go through this period of sadness, understanding the frustration and anger of the fans.”
Asked when he plans to talk to West Ham’s board, Nuno said: “You keep insisting [to ask] me about that and my mind is not there, you understand?
“Today, tomorrow, if we have a press conference, next one, for sure we can speak about that. But today, it’s about understanding how tough it is.”
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