“Winter War Chest”:Despite The Setback of Being Unable to Sell Lucas Paqueta, West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui still…Read more
“Lopetegui’s Winter War Chest Unaffected: West Ham Boss Retains ‘Massive’ Budget Despite Paqueta Transfer Hiccup”
When news surfaced that Lucas Paqueta was charged with match-fixing related to four yellow cards he received, it surprised everyone at West Ham. The club had expected the case to be dismissed, and this development significantly disrupted their transfer plans.
It was widely anticipated that the Brazilian would move to Manchester City, but this now seems unlikely. Consequently, the club has missed out on the £85 million release clause – a significant sum that would have contributed substantially to their budget.
Fortunately, Sean Whetstone has provided a positive update, suggesting that the recruitment team could still have £100 million to spend on players. He posted on X, “Assuming Lucas Paqueta does NOT now leave this summer, West Ham should have around £100m to spend on transfers. This is based on a £30m net spend budgeted for finishing 9th this season, plus £30m of additional revenue from the Europa League, and £40m from player sales, assuming Benrahma is sold for £15m and Downes for around £15.5m, on top of Kehrer already sold for £9.5m.”
Further sales of players like Aguerd, Ings, Antonio, or James Ward-Prowse would add more to the transfer budget.
It’s a significant amount, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see many of those players leave, except for Ward-Prowse, who is likely valued by the club for his homegrown status, leadership, and overall quality.
Ultimately, if the board allocates £100 million to Steidten and Lopetegui, it should be more than enough to make significant progress in the team’s rebuild.
GET RELATED CONTENT ON:
