West Ham won't be able to push into the Premier League top four despite their recent financial boost, according to former England striker Kevin Phillips.
The Lowdown: West Ham in great position
The Hammers are in a very healthy position at the moment, with the club thriving both on and off the pitch.
David Moyes is doing a wonderful job as manager, guiding them to fourth place in the Premier League going into today's clash against Aston Villa, winning every group game in the Europa League and beating Manchester City to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals earlier this week.
Furthermore, West Ham could be set for an exciting financial boost, with Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky close to purchasing 27% of the club.
The Latest: Pundit doubts future ambitions
Despite all of that, Phillips doesn't believe that West Ham will end up rivalling the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in terms of buying the best players and consistently qualifying for the Champions League
The former Sunderland striker told Football Insider:
"I think they can challenge them this season. But I can’t see them breaking into that top four.
"I just don’t think they’ll be able to sign the players that clubs like Man City, Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool sign – purely because of the size of the football club.
"If a world-class player had a choice of Man United and West Ham, they would choose Man United and that is naturally going to go against them.
"However, David Moyes deserves so much credit for putting that squad together and getting the best out of every last player.
"I just don’t think they’ll be able to maintain the challenge year-in, year-out."
The Verdict: Top four could be tough
While it is always a good thing to be ambitious as a football fan, it will be very tough for West Ham to break into that top four given those clubs' vast wealth and quality, as Phillips has hinted. For instance, Leicester twice came close in the past couple of seasons but fell short on both occasions.
That being said, Man City and Chelsea weren't always the powerhouses they are now, and financial injections of their own saw them build over time.
West Ham will no doubt aim to do the same, slowly creating a squad which can hopefully end up battling the best teams in the country and bringing Champions League football to the London Stadium.
In other news, an expert is worried about an injury to one West Ham player. Find out who it is here.