European football has to be high on West Ham United’s agenda for next season, however, as we all know, achieving it is easier said than done. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were solid in the previous campaign and a good transfer window could put them into serious contention of being able to reach their goals.
But, sometimes, external factors a club cannot always control can play a part in the destiny of what will happen and the Hammers may be in no place to make the outcome different if one of the latest pieces of big Premier League news becomes a reality.
News recently broke that Newcastle United were in talks with Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan and the bin Zayed group about a potential takeover and, at the time of writing, it appears that a deal could be well on the way to being completed, per Lee Ryder on Twitter.
Midhat Kidwai: "Terms have been agreed between us and Mike Ashley; these terms have been reflected in a document, signed by both parties, which has been forwarded to the Premier League." #nufc
— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) May 29, 2019
So, why does this effect West Ham? Well, it could in a number of different ways and may make their chances of qualifying for the Europa League all the more difficult in years to come.
Firstly, if the Sheikh was to complete a takeover at St James’ Park, Newcastle would likely be given a rather attractive transfer budget that would be able to allow them to attract some top talent and bring them to the north-east of England.
It is likely that the two sides would be going head-to-head for the same types of players this summer (heck, Wesley Moraes was linked with both in the same report from the Chronicle) in order to strengthen their teams and the Hammers could find themselves up against the wall financially.
Indeed, a certain Salomon Rondon is another to be touted with both clubs, so you can start to see a parallel here.
If the club manages to keep Rafa Benitez (who almost took over in Stratford of course) at the helm as well, which you would have to imagine will be the case if he is provided with the funding he desires, then it will make Newcastle a tougher opponent to come up against and a side that should be finishing in the top half of the Premier League.
The foundations are already at the Magpies and coupled with financial backing, it would be hard to see them fall short of a place in the top ten.
Based on this season’s performances, that would mean West Ham would have finished 11th instead of 10th.
There’s no doubt that this year’s efforts were a ‘work in progress’ and a transitional year as such, however, Pellegrini’s side are far from the finished article and additions are going to have to be made to ensure they can compete with the likes of Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and even Watford before the potential arrival of Newcastle.
And, with just an alleged £30million transfer budget thought to be available (Football.London), the Irons are certainly going to have their work cut out for them.
Externally, there is nothing that West Ham are going to be able to do regarding the potential takeover, however, they will need to make it count on the pitch and ensure they are able to match what Newcastle do week in and week out.
If they manage to do that, then the Hammers have every possibility of playing in the Europa League in 2020/21.
West Ham fans, do you think the potential Newcastle takeover could have an effect on how things turn out for the club’s ambitions? Let us know your thoughts below!
