Sullivan shortcomings highlighted by Tottenham’s summer transfer stance

The reason West Ham United were relegated was not simply a lack of points. Of course, the failure by Graham Potter and successor Nuno Espírito Santo to garner the required 42 points from 38 games is the bottom line, but the failure can be traced back to successive transfer windows when the West Ham board sat with complacency rife and vice Chair Karren Brady actually laughed at supporter fears that relegation would strike.

Last Summer, just twelve months ago, Potter decreed ” we don’t need no strikers’ and brought in a left back and (flawed) goal keeper – before panic set in at the end of the window.  Belatedly, the Hammers signed Callum Wilson on a free and Mateus Fernandes plus Soungoutou Magassa after the season had already started.

A combined net spend last summer – despite flirting with bottom – table drama all season – of  just £64 million.

‘Compare and contrast’ with Tottenham Hotspur’s response to ‘almost’ being relegated last month.

According to football365.com:

“Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur want to bring Sandro Tonali as well as Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham have already made four major signings in the summer transfer window, with Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka to be part of manager Roberto De Zerbi’s squad next season.”

Which, if completed, will represent a spend of £80 million each for Tonali and Fernandes. Andy Robertson,  Martin Dubravka and Marcos Senesi being three shrewd free signings, plus a ‘mere’ £52 million for Paul Van Hecke: Conservatively, four times Sullivan’s spend in his unsuccessful attempt to keep West Ham in the Premier League.

And of course, links abound with Summerville to Spurs too: Quite how much more the Spuds are willing to pay to avoid a repeat of that relegation ‘near miss’ is both depressing and infuriating after West Ham ignored the same warnings 12 months ago.

Of course, the Spuds are likely to sell players too – but the lack of ambition highlighted by the ‘old’ regime at West Ham – who were trying to do ‘just enough’ to keep the club in the Premier League was clear for all to see as the BS regime failed hopelessly: Chickens came home to roost and failed decisions upstairs inevitably led to failure on the pitch.

Sad to see rivals Spuds showing the Irons how it should have been done once relegation had been a ‘near miss’ in 2024/5.

Hopefully the way forward will be a new-era, with more sensible decisions carried out upstairs once Sullivan has been expunged from the club.

The sight of Tottenham, spending hell – for leather having escaped by the smallest of margins at West Ham’s expense – is  a bitter lesson to learn.