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The following article is a special report; all information presented has been gleaned from Football FanCast sources unless otherwise stated.
West Ham United’s board have told Manuel Pellegrini that they expect the club to qualify for Europe in the 2018/19 season, sources have confirmed to Football FanCast.
The Hammers have spent big in the summer transfer window, acquiring Sebastian Haller and Pablo Fornals from Eintracht Frankfurt and Villarreal respectively.
The deal for Haller was a club-record transfer that cost the Irons an initial £45m and could rise to £50m if certain performance-related bonuses are triggered.
Haller arrived for a fee of £24m and, when added to last summer’s business, the Hammers have spent £168m on incoming players across two windows. Per Sky Sports, the Irons splashed £99m last summer.
Indeed, Pellegrini personally requested the acquisitions of both Haller and Fornals. One source at the time of negotiations with Haller told FFC: “What Pellegrini wants, Pellegrini gets.”
They have, of course, sold the likes of Marko Arnautovic – again at Pellegrini’s behest – and Pedro Obiang but they have banked just £31.5m from the two departures.
As a result, a source within the club has told FFC that the club “haven’t spent the money to go from 10th to 8th”.
Indeed, having spent big-money on the likes of Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena last summer, the Irons endured an inconsistent season as they finished 10th in 2018/19. They lost 16 games and won 15 in the top-flight.
This time around, however, the club hope to crash the top-six party, that has been established as being made up of Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.
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The six clubs have significant financial muscle and greater reserves of wealth than the Hammers but there is a belief at the London Stadium that their business has been shrewd enough that the club can make significant strides this season.
One feels that Pellegrini may face an uphill battle – West Ham finished 14 points behind United last season – but the board expects results.
Indeed, there is no expectation at the club that they will slip into the bottom-half of the table, though clubs around them are spending heavily.
Leicester City, Everton and Wolves all finished above the Irons last season and have spent a combined £154m this summer alone, prior to the Toffees’ reported £29m acquisition of Moise Kean from Juventus. Leicester could also receive £90m for Harry Maguire if he joins United.
Sources have remained guarded when asked what fate could befall Pellegrini if he fails to qualify for Europe but one feels that the outcome would not be a contract extension; perhaps quite the opposite.
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