West Ham’s Message To Rivals: Pay Up Or Look Elsewhere

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

West Ham are continuing to send out messaging to the rest of the football world at the moment, with the same core theme repeating itself:

“We will not sell players for less than they are worth.”

It would seem that many of the suitors for our better players are still stuck in David Sullivan mode and have not yet appreciated that the club are now effectively being controlled by a businessman worth more than £10 billion.

Over the past few days we’ve seen a reluctance from West Ham to even enter into negotiations unless clubs are prepared to take their valuations seriously.

No Discounts Available

The newly convened West Ham board have privately let it be known to agents that Mateus Fernandes carries an £85 million valuation.

Likewise, Crysencio Summerville is not expected to leave for anything less than £45 million.

Those figures may sound ambitious to some, but the important thing is that the club appear willing to stand by them.

This is a very different approach to the one many rival clubs have become accustomed to over recent years.

No Hurry To Sell

Added to that is an unhurried stance from the club.

Kretinsky’s instructions appear to be that there is no rush whatsoever to sell West Ham’s better players.

Certainly there seems to be an appetite from within the club to let the dust settle on the World Cup before making any major decisions regarding departures.

That would be a prudent approach. After all, Summerville’s valuation alone may have increased by as much as £10 million over the past week.

A New Reality

Whether the valuations ultimately prove realistic remains to be seen.

But the message coming out of the London Stadium could hardly be clearer.

West Ham are no longer operating from a position of weakness.

And if Premier League clubs are hoping to pick up a cheeky bargain, they may be better off looking elsewhere.