With all the negativity surrounding West Ham United recently, there is one small positive worth sharing with our readers. As a Championship club, we now fall under EFL loan rules, which are very different from the Premier League, and given the clubs ongoing financial pressures, they are almost certain to lean heavily on the loan market throughout the 2026/27 season.
As such early enquiries have already gone in to several “unnamed” Premier League clubs to gauge the availability of potential loan targets. Championship clubs can register more than five loan players in their 25‑man squad. There is no upper limit on total loans registered, as long as the squad stays within the 25‑player cap.
Championship squad rules offer a major advantage to relegated sides looking for a rebuild
West Ham can also name a maximum of five loan players in any matchday squad (20‑man squad). They can take up to four players on loan from the same club, but only two of them can be over 23.
It gets even better. The EFL does not distinguish between domestic and international loans for incoming players.
Foreign loans count the same as domestic loans, they simply take up a spot in the 25‑man squad and count toward the five‑per‑matchday limit.
For Squad registration rules, Championship squads are capped at 25 senior players. Loan players under 21 still count toward the 25‑man squad. The more relaxed Championship loan rules are a major advantage for West Ham at a time when early signs suggest this summer’s window could be extremely challenging.
Here’s thought, how about considering loaning out players like Summerville and/or Fernandes to a prem club by offering paying their reduced wage and the loan club making up the difference on the proviso that it can become a loan to buy if we fail to get promotion in the first season. We’d only end up have to look at buying others of equal quality on being promoted, this way they can return without a transfer fee, agent fees and have their wages subsidised. In their place we get our championship level loans in, again with no transfer fees involved.
How is this positive, loans are just developing playets for other teams they do nothing for our team building needs.
So no building for the future then.. just more short term solutions. Suits Sullivan perfectly
Agree 100% with Albie. More short-termism is the last thing we need and is what got us into this mess.
Chelsea here we come|
Trouble with players on Loan is the fact that if they have a great season they are then usually beyond our price range and bugger off.
I would rather the club build with young academy players or reasonable purchases from with the EFL.