Tim Steidten will be seething after The Athletic makes a major West Ham transfer claim ahead of the summer window. Many West Ham fans were angry when the club failed to spend in January.
Fans should not have been surprised, though. Because the top source inside West Ham had told Hammers News that the club would have to offload players in January to meet profitability and sustainability rules after reaching the maximum allowable limit on wages-to-turnover.
Regardless, Hammers supporters feel the lack of activity in January has come home to roost as we enter the business end of the season.
West Ham’s quiet winter window was put into sharp context, though.
Not only against the backdrop of points penalties being dished out to Premier League rivals for breaching PSR. But through a lack of transfer activity across Europe too.
The club will have no choice but to be active this summer, though.
Big rebuild needed at West Ham
West Ham face another rebuild which could require as many as 10 players being signed. The Hammers squad is already four players short as things stand.
They have six players out of contract in the summer and the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Nayef Aguerd and Maxwel Cornet are expected to be sold, to name but three.
A top source very close to West Ham’s owners recently told Hammers News that the club does have money to spend in the summer but would essentially have to raise additional funds to satisfy PSR.
Thankfully West Ham’s owners have a man in place in Tim Steidten who specialises in building teams. Just look at his former club Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham appear to have fought off interest from Liverpool and Newcastle to keep Steidten at the club.
That’s after the German technical director stated he is very happy at West Ham last week.
That new system will be aligned with the squad cost-to-revenue ratio contained within UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).
And Steidten will be seething after The Athletic makes a major West Ham transfer claim. The outlet has done a deep dive into what the new PSR rules will mean for each Premier League club and their transfers.
The report claims West Ham will be one of the three worst affected clubs alongside Aston Villa and Newcastle.
The Athletic states that clubs caught between levels will be hardest hit – “The clubs that aspire to climb the rope ladder but see others at the top with a pair of shears. Sound familiar?”
“I suppose the ones it impacts the most are the ones you call aspirational clubs,” says Chris Weatherspoon, accountant and policy advisor to the campaign group Fair Game.
“Certain clubs like West Ham, Newcastle, and Aston Villa, the clubs just outside that top six. You’re almost saying that’s where the aspirational clubs are stuck.
“It could only be a truly good thing if everyone started from the same point. You could argue that it’s better than what we’ve got, but I don’t see it as a fix.”
‘Pearl diver’ will need to find some bargains
Steidten surely won’t be happy with that. He has come here to help try to bridge the very gap the new rules look set to perpetuate.
In light of that, West Ham will be hoping Steidten has the appetite to work with whatever money is available to him.
He may feel like he is working with one hand tied behind his back. But it seems the Hammers will very much be hoping the ‘pearl diver’ finds several bargains to reshape the team around.
The good news is that Steidten has form for building on a reasonable budget. Hammers News recently spoke to football finance expert Kieran Maguire about how the new PSR rules will impact West Ham.
