West Ham chairman, David Sullivan, has often been lambasted by fans for his decision making, and he could be about to incur their wrath once more.
Football finance expert, Kieran Maguire, recently hit out at the 75-year-old, and Sullivan could arguably be blamed for the club’s failure to land Aston Villa’s hot-shot, Jhon Duran.
For all of the talk of West Ham being a ‘big club,’ and their summer transfer business certainly gave the initial impression that things could finally be changing in that regard, there always seems to be a ‘but.’
David Sullivan needs to take a deep breath before making another mistake at West Ham
One step forward and two back.
On the pitch at present the team look disjointed at best under Julen Lopetegui.
Though it isn’t clear how many games the Spaniard has left to save himself from the sack, it’s abundantly clear that if he doesn’t turn the corner soon, Sullivan will give him the old heave-ho.
The East Londoners simply cannot countenance another well below par campaign, and one that could conceivably end in a relegation battle if things continue in the same vain.
Off the pitch there will always be commercial decisions to be made, and former Everton CEO, Keith Wyness, has hinted that clubs currently sponsored by betting companies – as West Ham are – may soon turn to cryptocurrency as their headline sponsors, given the ban on gambling sponsors from the 2026-27 season onwards.
West Ham could even decide to bring things forward by a year after The Sun noted they wanted to sever ties with current sponsors, Betway, because of issues with the ongoing case against Lucas Paqueta.
“We’ve had a bit of a false start with cryptocurrency and we could see that come back into play when gambling sponsors are banned,” he said to Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast.
“There’s gonna be a shake out in that market and there will be some pretty established companies come forward.
“Blockchain technology and the burgeoning artificial intelligence market are two areas which will explode in football sponsorship as well. There are always things waiting in the wings.
“Football sponsorship gives these companies the exposure and I think there are going to be more than enough good deals to cover the gambling shortfall.
“There’ll be a rush into football and sports from those areas starting next year.”
Dependant on your point of view, crypto is either the future or another case of the Emperor’s new clothes.
Should Sullivan decide to walk that particular path, it’s arguable that he could be making his poorest decision yet as Hammers chairman.