Slaven Bilic should have as much as £150 million to spend reshaping his West Ham United team this summer.
West Ham United owners David Gold and David Sullivan
When the Hammers moved from their beloved Boleyn Ground to the Olympic Stadium, co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold promised big ‘marquee’ signings.
In reality as one West Ham famously told a talkSPORT radio phone in earlier this season, ‘We got Simone Zaza and some scaffolding’.
Many supporters are sceptical over the intentions of co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold.
Indeed many believe their bluster about “£35m marquee striker signings” was a ploy to sell season tickets.
If it was, it worked – or certainly helped – as West Ham sold 52,000 season tickets, second only to Manchester United.
Simone Zaza barely registered a shot on target let alone a goal in a disastrous loan spell
With Zaza’s loan cancelled before the £25m obligation to buy clause was activated West Ham never ended up signing that “marquee” striker.
James Tomkins and Dimitri Payet were sold for a combined £35 million this season while the Hammers announced record income in their annual accounts last week off the back of the ever-increasing TV deal.
The extra ticket revenue, commercial and merchandising revenue streams has seen the club enter the prestigious European Deloitte Football Money League Top 20 for the first time, as proudly paraded on its official website back in January.
Enner Valencia, who has spent the season on loan at Everton, has impressed and could be set for a £10m move to Goodison Park this summer.
West Ham United’s Andre Ayew celebrates with Sofiane Feghouli
Meanwhile flop Sofiane Feghouli is an £8m target for Roma and Inter Milan while the Hammers might cut their losses on record £20.5m signing Andre Ayew after Marseille were linked with a £25m bid for their former forward.
Add in the fact that Alvaro Arbeloa, Gokhan Tore and Jonathan Calleri have all been released after the expiration of their respective contract deals and the Hammers are seriously flush.
Then factor in the money that would have been made available anyway for the summer – typically around £25 million under Sullivan and Gold – and Bilic should expect no less than a £150m warchest to start playing catch-up on the top six.
Yes the club still carries historic debt – which club doesn’t nowadays – but that was never held up as an issue by the owners when persuading fans to make the move to Stratford so why should it become one now they are flush with cash.
Will Bilic get the financial backing the team sorely needs?
Whether Sullivan and Gold sanction that kind of unprecedented spending remains to be seen and reports of their first signing of the summer being the free transfer of ageing defender Pablo Zabaleta and it does not bode well.
One thing is for certain, though, for the first time Hammers fans are truly expectant.
Supporters were reluctant to leave Upton Park and many did so on the promise it would allow them to compete with the Premier League elite in terms of finances, in the transfer market and for success.
Those fans will not settle for empty promises any longer, Sullivan and Gold will have to deliver.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
