West Ham United’s relegation from the Premier League to the Championship has, unexpectedly, resulted in significant financial losses for the club.

The Hammers have not played in the EFL for the previous 14 years, and within that span, after stabilising back in the top-flight, moved to the London Stadium in the summer of 2016, and even claimed UEFA Conference League gold as recently as three summers ago.

However, in more recent times, the East London team have clearly been on a downhill spiral and gone through a number of head coaches, with Nuno Espírito Santo currently the man managing affairs from the bench.

West Ham’s campaign in the Premier League last term got off to the worst possible start under Graham Potter – who is now in charge of Sweden at the FIFA World Cup 2026 – until the Portuguese was selected as his replacement in September.

Despite a relative upturn in performance, the Irons were unable to come out successfully from their relegation struggle against local rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, however their points total of 39 was still the highest any relegated side had racked up in the top-flight for 15 years.

They still boast some impressive names as part of the team officially heading into the Championship campaign, however the jury is still largely out on how many of those Nuno will be able to retain.

However, in recent days, there has undoubtedly been some optimistic sounds from Czech businessman, Daniel Křetínský, and another has apparently dropped on the transfer front which might please the people.

Daniel Kretinsky issues West Ham transfer hint amid Fernandes, Summerville and Bowen leave rumours

Indeed, it has been widely speculated that the club will need to raise far more than £100 million to balance its accounts following relegation, with speculation already widespread over many players.

Mateus Fernandes, a highly-rated Portuguese midfielder, is at the top of the list, having had an impressive individual season with three goals and four assists after joining from Southampton last August for a reported £38 million, including a 15% sell-on clause for the Hampshire club.

Fernandes, 21, has been widely connected with moves to Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, and UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, with West Ham apparently wanting around £80 million for a sell.

However, it has lately been suggested that the second-tier club is in no rush to complete a transfer, while Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville has also piqued the curiosity of the Red Devils and Les Parisiens.

Bowen has also gotten a lot of attention, with reports claiming that the club captain is the only player who will not see a 50% cut in earnings following relegation.

However, according to Claret and Hugh, board member Jiri Svarc issued an email to important individuals on behalf of the aforementioned Kretinsky, informing them that they would be retained by their current employment.

The publication also claims that an unnamed player’s agent informed them that “everyone is (staying),” which will undoubtedly boost morale at the London Stadium.

How do West Ham fans feel about the latest transfer update?

Unsurprisingly, the new update has elicited varied reactions from Hammers fans, despite the fact that the club is already considered hot favourites to win the Championship title based on their roster.

Given the club’s apparent need to earn a nine-figure sum, some have already identified who they intend to transfer.

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Unsurprisingly, many would like to see Fernandes stay put, yet such exploits may still seem unattainable.

West Ham would issue a statement if high-profile players were retained.

With Nuno in charge, many at the London Stadium will be hoping that the 52-year-old can repeat his Championship title success with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017/18, which was also achieved by constructing a star-studded squad at Molineux.

West Ham, of course, are in a similar situation right now, despite the differing circumstances, and it would be a great statement if they were able to keep players like Fernandes and Summerville, among others.

However, the club has already set their sights on high-level Championship performers in the event that some of those names are lost, with Football League World exclusively revealing interest in Harrison Burrows of Sheffield United and Swansea City’s Ethan Galbraith.