A close ally of David Sullivan has named the three players West Ham will sell first if the unthinkable were to happen and relegation became a reality.
The Hammers are staring into the abyss after the defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
West Ham are now marooned in the relegation zone, effectively eight points from safety with 17 games to play.
The Hammers have seven points less at the same stage of the season than when they were last relegated from the Premier League under the hapless Avram Grant in 2011.
The Irons will be falling off the Premier League gravy train at the worst possible time too with record £100m losses coming in the club’s accounts.
West Ham’s failure to build on the success of three seasons in Europe and a first major trophy for 43 years has resulted in two years of regression and what is now looking like almost certain demotion to the Championship.
Hammers staring into the abyss of Premier League relegation
Premier League clubs typically prepare detailed contingency plans to mitigate the severe financial impact of relegation, often embedding cost-control mechanisms directly into player and staff contracts.
The most common safeguard is a relegation wage-reduction clause, usually triggering salary cuts of between 25 and 50 per cent if the club drops into the Championship and West Ham will have these in place for most, if not all, their senior, high-earning players.
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These clauses are designed to realign the wage bill with lower broadcast revenues while preserving squad continuity where possible.
But player sales are the primary cost-cutting measure, identifying high-value assets with Premier League-level demand who can be moved quickly to stabilise cash flow.
The fact West Ham are struggling so badly suggests they don’t have enough quality players.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
And those who did fall under that category are simply not performing and therefore may not attract the kind of interest and value they would have previously.
One thing is for certain, West Ham will simply have to make a host of sales to fill the financial void.
And they plan to.
Now a David Sullivan ally has named the three stars West Ham will sell first if relegated.
It offers a stark insight into just how serious the current situation has become and fans will be wondering whether their chances of bouncing straight back could be impacted.
One of the saddest things about what people feel is now West Ham’s inevitable relegation is Jarrod Bowen.
Sullivan ally names three stars West Ham will sell first if relegated
The skipper is a certified Hammers legend and is agonisingly close to becoming the club’s leading Premier League goalscorer.
Bowen looks unlikely to manage that this season unless West Ham suddenly catch fire and he raises his game for the last 17 matches.
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West Ham’s Prague hero declared his intention to retire at the club when he signed a new seven-year deal with the option for an eighth year.
But now Hammers insider Sean Whetstone, who counts Sullivan among his close contacts, has revealed Bowen will be one of the first to be sold by West Ham if they drop.
Whetstone says the club will be unable to afford much of the senior squad in the Championship.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesBowen, Todibo and Paqueta will be first out of West Ham exit
He has confirmed wage reduction clauses of up to 50 per cent are in place for certain Hammers players.
But Bowen along with Lucas Paqueta and Jean-Clair Todibo would be the first West Ham would look to move on.
Beyond playing staff, West Ham’s relegation plans typically include operational cost reductions, such as restructuring back-room staff, renegotiating commercial contracts, and trimming matchday and administrative expenses.
There will be a saving of around £2m on what the club pays to rent the London Stadium.
Transfer spending will either be frozen or tightly controlled, with a greater reliance on academy players, free transfers and loans.
While parachute payments will soften the initial blow of relegation for West Ham, they lessen over time and the pressure will be on to bounce straight back to the big time.
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