Daily WHUFC News - 12th January 2018

West Ham manager Moyes reveals January transfer window plan
WHUFC.com

David Moyes has vowed to do everything in his power to sign the right players for West Ham United this January transfer window. In the first of an exclusive three-part interview for West Ham TV, which you can watch here, the manager outlined his recruitment philosophy and revealed the type of players he wants to add to the Hammers' squad this month. Moyes began by explaining that he would like to sign players who both boost his team immediately, but can also add value for years to come. "Every West Ham supporter wants us to add to the squad and I want to do it correctly if I can," he said. "We would really like a couple of players in the January window, but I couldn't turn around and say to you that we're guaranteed to do that, because we're not there yet. I hope we can do it. "I want to make sure we bring in the right players, players who can stay at the club for a while, but at the same breath all we could possibly get is a couple of loans and we'll see how they do from there. "There is a bit of both, because my job at the moment is to make sure we stay in the division, but there is also part of me looking a wee bit above that at what we need to do for the future and what it's going to look like for West Ham coming up, even in the close-season. "It might sound easy, but it's not easy trying to manage both."

Any football fan who has watched matches regularly on television over the last decade or more will have become accustomed to seeing Moyes watching on from the Directors' Box. On some occasions, the Scot was scouting future opponents, on others scouting potential recruits, but often he was there simply because he is a football man and cannot get enough of the sport he has been involved in for 40 years. And that attention to detail and love for the game that Moyes will employ as he and his staff seek to identify and secure potential targets. "I would be diligent. I don't do things very quickly. I like to see players live myself. It was always my rule that I'd only do it if I've seen the players live, because I'd treat the club's money like my own money and wouldn't give it away too easily. "It's not quite the same world now because of the speed of transfers being done, but my style was always to have a strong scouting and backroom staff, scouts working, lots of reports, seeing as many players as we can, and trying to find the best young and upcoming talent."

So, what particular attributes is the manager looking for, and which areas of the pitch does Moyes believe most urgently need strengthening? "There are a few attributes. I'd like us to be better with the ball. I've said that. I want us to make sure we're better but also need protection defensively as well. "The longer we move on, we can't keep protecting player after player, and we'll have to see what comes next but, at the moment I would like to add a couple of players who will help us keep the ball better and pass better. If we got that, it would help me feed the centre forwards we've got, and we've got quite a lot of centre forwards at the club.
"We want to be able to give them the right type of service, whether that be playing over the top, coming from wide areas or played into feet. I want people who can recognise what they need. "We could need people in the centre of midfield or off the side who might do it from another area, or people in different positions, but I want to add a couple of people who could give us a little bit more on the ball."

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Arnautovic: I want to bring this Club up with everything I have got
WHUFC.com

Premier League defenders should be afraid. Very afraid. Fresh from his best month in English football, Marko Arnautovic says there is more to come as he prepares to make his return to action at Huddersfield Town. The 28-year-old had challenging start to his career in Claret and Blue, which included a red card in just his second appearance at Southampton in August, which ruled him out of the home win over Huddersfield at London Stadium.

However, the Austrian bagged five goals and added an assist as West Ham United scored two valuable victories and two draws in December, earning him a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Month award. And, after missing the 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur and goalless Emirates FA Cup third-round stalemate at Shrewsbury Town, the No7 is targeting a successful comeback at John Smith's Stadium.

"I heard the people saying 'He came for £27 million and he's done nothing for us'," Arnautovic said, reflecting on that difficult start. "Well, people come to me and tell me, or I read some things, but I am not the type of guy who goes to check every column on Facebook or Instagram. "Of course, if you score or assist and win the game, you are the best player in the world, but if you lose you are the worst player on the planet! "The fans to pay to come to the stadium to see your performance and of course I want to show the Club that they didn't pay so much money for nothing. "I would change many things from when I was young but I am also happy and grateful that I am here. I am not finished. Things outside football have stopped me and I didn't concentrate or focus back then. "I am 28 and still not where I want to be. I am trying hard to get there and I won't stop. "I want to show people — especially the haters — what I am capable of and bring this Club up with everything I have got."

West Ham will seek to extend their recent run of form to one defeat in eight Premier League matches when they head to West Yorkshire this weekend. Victory would life the Hammers above the Terriers and, if results elsewhere fall their way, possibly as high as tenth in the table.

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New book pays 'fitting tribute' to late, great manager John Lyall
WHUFC.com

It is unlikely there is a West Ham United fan alive who has met more former Hammers players than Tim Crane.

A lifelong supporter with a healthy obsession with the Club's history between 1958-89, Crane penned the wonderful They Played with Bobby Moore in 2014, speaking to the 89 players lucky enough to wear a Claret and Blue shirt on the same pitch as the late, great captain and defender. Three years on, Crane has done it again, publishing the equally magnificent They Played for John Lyall, containing interviews and hundreds of exclusive photographs with the 77 Hammers who were picked by the late, great manager. Lyall, of course, graduated from the Academy of Football and played for West Ham before an injury led him into coaching, first under the guidance of Ron Greenwood, and latterly as Team Manager in his own right. A superb coach, outstanding man-manager and meticulous administrator and recruiter, Lyall led West Ham to two FA Cup triumphs, in 1975 and 1980, and a Club-record high third-place top-flight finish in 1986.

He passed away in April 2006, aged just 66, but his legacy in east London, as Crane and the players he spoke to for his 376-page book confirm, will live on forever.
"Seventy-seven Hammers played for John over 15 years, so there was a consistency there," Crane began. "There are some amazing interviews and great stories and excellent insight into how John ran West Ham United Football Club, almost singlehandedly, from 1974 until 1989. "Obviously we had a couple of great FA Cup journeys in there, European campaigns, relegation, promotion and plenty of other things to talk about."

For Crane, writing his second book on West Ham and on a figure he revered was a real labour of love. "People will know the household names like Brooking, Bonds and Devonshire, and I managed to find all 77 except one, a Scottish goalkeeper named Tom McAlister. "I spoke to all of the living Hammers among the 89 who played with Bobby Moore, along with the families of the deceased ones, but I just could not find Tom, despite using a genealogist and speaking to all his former teammates and former clubs. Hopefully he will come out of the woodwork!"

Crane did manage to speak to the other 76, however, and the vast majority were glowing in their praise for their one-time boss. "Frank McAvennie told me the story of when he made his debut for Scotland at Hampden Park, he was feeling very nervous, but then there was a knock on the dressing room door and it was John, who had driven all the way up to Glasgow to wish him well "John had that very personal touch and it was the first brick of trust in that loyalty and support players had from their manager. "There were loads of stories of how he would go to hospital to see his injured players, and send flowers to their wives. He just went above and beyond what was normal as a manager. "The vast majority had very fine things to say about John."

One man who did not play for John Lyall, but had huge respect for the man and the manager was Sir Alex Ferguson, who has written the foreword to Crane's book.
"It's amazing. I just sent a letter addressed to Sir Alex at Old Trafford after John's wife Yvonne had been very supportive and suggest I contact him. "I heard nothing initially and then, on the day I was going to print, his secretary called to say he had been in Portugal for a month but he wanted to write the foreword and asked me when my deadline was. "I told her it was four o'clock that day and, lo and behold, at five to four o'clock an email came through with a wonderful foreword and a photo of the man himself. "Sir Alex was the right man to write it because he was very good friends with John. When he came down to Manchester United from Aberdeen, it was John who he asked for information about English football, and Sir Alex never forgot it. "The foreword and the book as a whole are, I hope, a fitting tribute."

*They Played for John Lyall is available in hardback from ebay, the Newham Bookshop and Swan Books in Upminster, priced £25.

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Moyes wants West Ham playing like Tottenham and Chelsea in the future
BBC.co.uk

West Ham manager David Moyes says he wants his side to play "like Tottenham, like Chelsea" if he remains in charge beyond the end of this season. Moyes, 54, has guided the side out of the relegation zone and up to 15th place in the Premier League since he was appointed in November. He signed a short-term contract following the sacking of Slaven Bilic. "I've got an idea in my head how I want it to look," Moyes told the BBC's Football Focus. "I want us to go to those teams and say, 'we're having a game with you and we're going to see if we can beat you'," added Moyes. "At the moment, we just don't have the same level of quality of players as those teams do, but I'm saying that for probably every other team bar the top six or seven in the Premier League."

The former Everton, Manchester United and Sunderland manager lost three of his first four games in charge as he got to grips with his new side. However, since the start of December, Moyes has led the side to a win over Chelsea, draws against Arsenal and Tottenham and a narrow defeat at Manchester City. West Ham have lost once in their last eight Premier League games.

Will West Ham do any transfer business in January?
The January transfer window gives them an opportunity to strengthen and it has also been reported they would be happy to sell striker Javier Hernandez. Moyes admits he does not know how busy he will be this month. He said: "We'd like to add to it if we can but I want to try to get the right type of players. I want to try to help West Ham prepare now and also have that vision when I lift my eyes a little bit higher up. "I want to look a wee bit further forward and what we should be trying to get. "When you start doing that, it doesn't make it quite as easy a decision as saying 'let's get somebody for today' because we also need it for tomorrow as well."

You can watch the full interview with David Moyes on Football Focus on BBC One from 12:00 GMT on 13 January

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SORTING THE MEN OUT FROM THE BOYS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 JANUARY 2018 AT 8:08PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Written by @farehamhammer

Like a heroin junkie desperately needing a daily fix, West Ham fans are desperate for stars to emerge from The Academy. Harping back to the days when The Club's Academy, was envied and respected all over the world. We kept on producing top quality players, players who were taught to play football the right way. Stylish inventive football on the deck. Sadly, those days have long since gone, but it has not stopped fans clutching at straws. You only had to look at the Luton Town bench, for the recent Check-a-trade match against our U23'S: On the bench was Dan Potts son of Steve Potts, and the Lee brothers Olly and Elliot. All played for our Academy and were thought to have a great future in the game. None, more so than striker Elliot Lee, who scored a hatful of goals for the U21's. The clamour for him to be picked for the first team, was greater than the demand that David Moyes picks Tony Martinez. Sadly, Elliot Lee was not good enough and got released and struggles to make the Luton Town first team.

To make it in the harsh world of Professional football is a tough ask. It is equally as hard for Clubs to attract the right sort of players to The Academy, Clubs are competing for an ever-decreasing pool of players. Many complain there are too many foreign youngsters in our Academy's. Yes, that is true! But what choice have Club's got, when there are not enough local boys good enough to make the grade? Twenty-five to thirty years ago things were very different. You had far bigger families for starters, five, six or more children in a family was not unheard of then. Today you often get a family of a single child or two children in it. Marriage was the in thing back then, as a result the father was always around encouraging his lads to play football. With, the internet explosion kids have a whole array of attractions they can involve themselves in.

Twenty-five to Thirty years ago kids would put down jumpers down as goalposts, and two teams of twenty a side would play football, till Mum called them in for tea. Kids were always their hero's when playing in these games. The highlight of these games was on a Sunday afternoon, when the old-man would rise himself from the sofa after a few beers, pot-bellied, decides he is Bobby Moore, next thing he is charging round a pitch full of kids. Sadly, he only lasts ten minutes, realizes father time has caught up with him. Turns around and heads meekly back to the sofa. Football, and more football, was what young lads lived for then. Not now. Things that matter now is how many kills in Call of duty, spending hours on Facebook. Different times, different interests. But, in a season of so much negativity, we have got players from The Academy who with a bit of good luck will make the grade and save The Club millions.

One of the pleasing aspects on David Moyes managerial reign is, that he is taking a real good look at the youth, sorting the men out from the boys. I'm afraid that both Josh Cullen and Reece Burke, are not going to make the grade in my opinion. Both played under Phil Parkinson at Bradford City and followed him to Bolton Wanderers. That they struggled to get into the Bolton team, who are bottom of The Championship speaks volumes. Cullen was ok against Shrewsbury when moved to centre midfield, nothing more. League one is their level in my opinion. I fail to see the fuss made about Domingos Quina, the Portuguese attacking midfielder. I'm afraid at this stage it is more hype than anything else. Part, of the problem is that the hype is mostly promoted by his agent, always trying to hawk him round to bigger clubs. But, if you think it's all doom and gloom at The Club, and more so specifically The Academy, nothing can be further than the truth.

We have four players who stand a great chance of making the grade, Declan Rice, 18 is a future captain in waiting. Such composure on the ball, has been a great success in defence and when called to play in midfield, has been calm and used the ball intelligently. What price young Declan in years to come? Millions. When people say we have only one creative player at The Club. I would have to disagree, we have the wonderfully talented Martin Samuelsen, so skilful, so good technically, the elegant Samuelsen glides across the park, a West Ham player if ever I have seen one. Sure, he had a couple of poor loans. So, did Frank Lampard Jnr as a kid. There are all sorts of reasons why loans may not work out. Sometimes it's because a style of football is different, or there is a managerial change. The important thing is Martin is back at The Club, playing well and knocking on the first team door.

Another player who I really have high hopes for is the winger Nathan Holland, who is injured unfortunately. He is pacey, direct, reminds me a lot of Matty Etherington. Finally let's take a look at two players who have been on the bench. Sead Hakšabanović attacking midfielder, and of course Tony Martinez who made his debut against Shrewsbury in The FA Cup. Hakšabanović like Rice, 18, is a skilful, attacking midfielder who never stops working. What impresses me most about him is the intelligent use of space. At 18 and already a fixture on the bench, tells you how highly The Club rate Sead. So, they should! Finally, we come to the striker Tony Martinez. At U23 level he has a telepathic understanding with Martin Samuelsen. I'm unsure about Martinez to be honest, although I hope he does make it. He, seems to score a hatful of goals, then have a period when he does not find the net. Never the less that we have five youth players that have every chance of making the grade, should excite every West Ham fan. The West Ham 'Way'? Arnie, Lanzini, Samuelsen, Sead, Holland would certainly be able to deliver the stylish, inventive, one football on the deck. Granted not all will make it, but we have a good core coming through. No, need for the utter despondency around The Club, the future is Claret and Blue. The transfer window? Well, apart from Liverpool spending a portion of the Courtinho money, nothing has been going on has there? Like them or hate them, but judgement day transfer wise, regards Gold and Sullivan must be on 1st Of February.

We are more than a football club, we're a way of life!!

COYI!!

Farehamhammer!!!

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We might have to rely on loans, admits Moyes
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th January 2018
By: Staff Writer

David Moyes says that he would like to sign a 'couple of players' during the January transfer window - but admits that he may have to rely on loans to see him through. The Hammers boss, who is contracted to the club for the rest of the season told West Ham's website that he was searching the market with view to players who can make an immediate effect - but also provide value for money for many years to come.

"We would really like a couple of players in the January window but I couldn't say that we're guaranteed to do that because we're not there yet," he said. "But I hope we can. "I want to make sure we bring in the right players, players who can stay at the club for a while. At the same breath, we could possibly get a couple of loans and see how they do from there. "My job at the moment is to make sure we stay in the division, but there is also part of me looking at what we need to do for the future and what it's going to look like for West Ham coming up, even in the close-season. "It might sound easy, but it's not easy trying to manage both."

And in terms of what particular players he has an eye on, Moyes revealed that he was seeking players comfortable with the ball at their feet. "At the moment I would like to add a couple of players who will help us keep the ball better and pass better," he added. "If we got that it would help me feed the centre forwards we've got - and we've got quite a lot of centre forwards at the club. We want to be able to give them the right type of service and I want people who can recognise what they need. "We could need people in the centre of midfield or off the side who might do it from another area, or people in different positions, but I want to add a couple of people who could give us a little bit more on the ball."

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The difference a debt makes
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th January 2018
By: Staff Writer

Everton part-owner Farhad Moshiri has invested £150million into the Merseyside club - in stark contrast to West Ham United's Board. It has been revealed that the 62-year-old businessman cleared the club's outstanding debts in one fell swoop, saving Everton - who have already made one significant signing during the current transfer window - more than £3million per year in interest payments.

And that is in stark contrast to West Ham's co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, who inherited a debt in the region of £100million when taking control of West Ham eight years ago this month that still remains in place.

West Ham's huge debt has been maintained since 2010 with Sullivan and Gold charging seven per cent interest per year on their loan to the club (a figure in the region of £50million); that equates to circa £3.5million interest per annum.

The outstanding debt was brought 'in-house' by the Board prior to moving to Stratford, as one of the conditions of sale relating to the Boleyn Ground - a former asset of West Ham United's that was previously used as a guarantee against bank loans.

And even with the Board's interest rate being halved, as claimed by vice chair Karren Brady during a meeting involving KUMB last month, West Ham's owners are still charging the club in the region of £1.75million per year interest on their loan.

Moshiri - who was previously a major shareholder in Arsenal, in conjunction with former business partner Alisher Usmanov - became Everton's majority shareholder in 2016, purchasing 49 per cent of the club (as Blue Heaven Holdings Limited) after selling his stake in the Gunners to Usmanov. However Moshiri was the subject of a BBC Panorama documentary in December, during which it was claimed that the money he invested in the Toffees was a gift from Usmanov.

Everton - now managed by former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce - have already spent £27million during this transfer window on Turkish striker Cenk Tosun, although they recouped £15million this week by selling Ross Barkley to Chelsea.

West Ham are yet to sign a single player since the transfer window re-opened on 1 January, but have recalled rookies Reece Burke, Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford from loan spells in order to boost David Moyes' depleted squad. Additionally, Diafra Sakho is reported to have held preliminary talks with Crystal Palace whilst Javier Hernandez is being tipped to leave the club less than six months after moving to London.

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Arnautovic keen to silence 'haters'
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th January 2018
By: Staff Writer

Marko Arnautovic says he is determined to win over any remaining doubters, following his recent run of excellent form. The 28-year-old winger was one of West Ham's best players in the month of December, scoring five goals - against Chelsea, Stoke, Newcastle and Bournemouth (2) - in his seven appearances.

And despite starting his career at West Ham slowly - with some having suggested his below par performances contributed towards Slaven Bilic received his marching orders bac in November - the Austrian international insisted that he wants to replay the club's - and fans' - faith in him. "Some people said 'he came for £27 million and he's done nothing for us'," recalled Arnautovic. "Well, the fans pay to come to the stadium to see your performance and of course I want to show the club that they didn't pay so much money for nothing. "I am 28 and still not where I want to be. I am trying hard to get there and I won't stop. I want to show people - especially the haters - what I am capable of and give everything I have got. "I am also happy and grateful that I am here [at West Ham]. I am not finished."

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West Ham may be willing to part with Javier Hernandez this month
Last Updated: 11/01/18 3:39pm
SSN

West Ham will listen to offers for Javier Hernandez during the January transfer window, according to Sky sources. The former Manchester United forward was signed for £16m from Bayer Leverkusen last summer but has only managed four Premier League goals so far. Hernandez last found the net during a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on 28 October. Hammers manager David Moyes appears to be keen on re-shaping the club's attack and a fee has already been agreed for the sale of Diafra Sakho to Crystal Palace.

Sky sources understand West Ham would also be willing to sell forwards Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll if the right price was offered. Moyes took charge at West Ham at the start of November following the dismissal of Slaven Bilic and has managed to lift the club out of the drop zone - they lie 15th ahead of Saturday's trip to Huddersfield. The experienced Hernandez, who has 99 caps for Mexico, has continued to feature under the new manager but is struggling for goals and the Hammers are apparently willing to part company with the 29-year-old. And Sky Sports News also understands that Krasnodar striker Fyodor Smolov, the captain of the Russian national team, could be on his way to east London this month.

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KHAN AND WEST HAM - WHAT TERMS? - THE STADIUM RENEGOTIATION
By Blind Hammer 11 Jan 2018 at 08:00
WTID

In the third of his series on Moore-Stephens Blind Hammer looks at what terms West ham should require in the Mayoral renegotiation.

After the publishing of the delayed Moore-Stephens report in December Sadiq Khan made the renegotiation of the concessionary Agreement with West Ham a high priority. This was slightly odd. What Moore-Stephens clarified was that it was facilitating Athletics which had the most adverse impact on the Stadium Business Case. The budget for relocating seats alone dwarfs any other costs, representing at least 4 times West Ham's annual rent. A secure financial future for the Stadium will inevitably, at some stage, have to grasp the nettle of compensating Athletics to relocate.

Despite this the Mayoral Press Release focused on the West Ham concession as the first avenue. However, should West Ham agree to renegotiation?? On the face of it, if they genuinely have the Deal of the Century, it would seem foolish to allow any amendments which could financially penalise them. This was, after all, an agreement that they have negotiated in good faith. Given that the structural misfit of hosting Athletics represents the overwhelming financial flaw in business planning, they could conceivably just sit on their hands. They could instead suggest that it is with UK Athletics that Kahn should concentrate his renegotiation efforts.

Despite this there are a number of reasons why West Ham will be forced to renegotiate. Firstly there will be political pressure for them to show willingness to help resolve Stadium issues and continue as good tenants. This is despite the evidence that E20 have shown increasing reluctance to act as good landlords. There are signs that E20, if not hostile to the West Ham occupancy, have exhibited what could be described as a "work to rule" approach. This is reflected in a range of strategies surrounding Stadium issues. These allegedly include some petty responses such as not providing desired catering services. Stadium responses are typically couched in terms that these services are not precisely specified in the concessionary agreement. More seriously West Ham has been blocked from in investing to improve Stadium fitness. Specifically the club wanted colour contrast pitch surrounds. These were designed to assist players in visualising pitch dimensions. In an impressive feat of logic churning West Ham was told that they could make this investment but only if the colours did not provide this necessary contrast. It appears that this difficult relationship will persist until West Ham agrees to renegotiate.

Most seriously of all West Ham have been prevented from executing plans to increase capacity to 60,000 and eventually 66,000. I covered the issues surrounding capacity in my last article on MooreStephens which you can find "here":https://www.westhamtillidie.com/posts/2017/12/21/moore-stephens-part-2-seating-capacity
I argued then that West Ham and indeed E20 should welcome expansion of Football capacity as the correct delivery of Legacy for the Stadium.
I will return to the advantages of maximising Stadium Capacity in a future post but for the moment will simply assume this is in West Ham's interest.

In that post I described how Stadium Capacity is the major weak point of the concessionary Agreement. There is no guarantee that even the current 57,000 CAN BE maintained. There is only an obligation to provide 53,500 seats. This is the Sword of Damocles hanging over West Ham, if there is any further crowd trouble Stadium capacity could be pruned even further.

Given E20's Health and Safety and Governance accountabilities they have the determining responsibility to apply for Stadium Safety Certificates. It is also clear from their reference to "commercial" considerations that they do not have any intention of doing so in advance of any renegotiation.

So West Ham has 3 Strategic nuts to crack from any renegotiation.

Firstly they should create the most inclusive "nag sheet" of issues which need to be resolved as their condition for entering a renegotiation process. So all of the infrastructural issues and service issues, including catering and pitch surround need to be addressed positively rather than obfuscated and hindered.

Secondly some kind of genuinely independent arbitration process for resolving these infrastructural issues needs to be agreed so that hidden agendas do not hinder future Stadium development. If this is not agreed E20 and West Ham will be wasting lots of money in potential legal disputes during the life of the agreement.

Finally and most crucially the perverse incentive of E20 to restrict Stadium Capacity in order to achieve strategic leverage over West Ham needs to be broken. West Ham will never be able to replace E20 as the vehicle for Safety Certificate application. However what they can do is to remove any financial incentive to reduce Stadium Capacity. The most straightforward way to achieve this would be to agree that Stadium Rental should rise, but that this increase must be directly related to any increase in capacity. In other words both E20 and West Ham should share the strategic interest of maximising crowd capacity.

The value for West Ham will lay in building brand and supporter base rather than seat income. Despite this we need to scope out some ball park revenue streams to see what is potentially up for grabs in the renegotiation.

The starting point should be any extra seating over the Current 57,000. There are a range of ticket options available in the stadium but given the likely location of extra seating and the availability of concessionary pricing, I have assumed a possible modest seat income of £25 per seat, per game. This means for every 1,000 extra seats West Ham could potentially achieve £25,000 a game. If Stadium Capacity went up to 60,000 this would rise to £75,000 a game, and din the event of the full 66,000 being sell out an extra £225,000 per game would be generated.

Per season the income generation figures would not be that significant. By these figures increasing capacity to 60,000 would only generate an additional £1,425,000. There will also be some inevitable infrastructural costs apart from the installation of the seats, for example in extra toilet facilities which could defray any extra income. However if capacity can reach the desired 66,000 then extra income will increase to a rather more significant £4,275,000.

These sums, large in the non-football world are relatively small in the insane world of football finance and TV revenue. However they do provide scope for West Ham to significantly upgrade the payment of their tenancy from the current £2.5 million per annum. My own view is that West Ham, provided they can achieve positive ongoing strategic and operational Stadium relations, should welcome re-negotiation. Subject to these provisos West Ham should, in my estimation even consider a potential 100% increase in rental terms linked to a sliding scale up to the achievement of a final capacity at 66,000. In this way West Ham would pay extra rent every time capacity is reached along a sliding scale, and less if capacity is not reached. This would ensure both West Ham and the Stadium Operators would have a shared interest in maximising Stadium usage.

Whilst this would mean that the club would have to find an additional £2-£2.5 million a year, this could be funded through the extra ticket revenue. I think West Ham should even be prepared to help with the extra infrastructural costs associated with the installation of extra seating in the Stadium.

In the end these measures will not dislodge the structural problems of financing Athletics at the London Stadium, but it would allow the usage of the Stadium to flourish further. The benefits of extra capacity for West Ham will in the end have little to do with the extra seat revenue but in other areas. In my next article I will address why the issue of capacity matters.

COYI
David Griffith

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West Ham are ready to listen to offers for £17million striker Javier Hernandez - after only six months.
The Mirrir

The capture of the former Manchester United striker from Bayer Leverkusen last summer was hailed as a massive coup for the club. But Hernandez has failed to settle and has struggled for service during West Ham's nightmare first half of the season. The 29-year-old has managed just four goals in 20 games for the Hammers since his summer switch. However, Sunday's blank in the FA Cup stalemate could prove to be his last outing in a claret and blue shirt if the east Londoners receive any concrete interest. Mirrorfootball understands West Ham are looking at alternatives with Diafra Sakho set for a move to Crystal Palace. Russia captain Fyofor Smolov, 27, is on their radar with the Krasnodar forward interested in a move to the London Stadium.

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