Blame for West Ham’s inexorable slide to relegation sits at the feet of David Sullivan | Jacob Steinberg
The Guardian · 2026-05-25 · archive
The club’s largest shareholder has ignored warning signs since 2022 and need only look at the fate of Leicester to see what what may be in storeWest Ham jumped on the relegation train in 2022. Bereft of vision at the top of the club, they failed to realise where they were heading. One internal figure was worried but his voice did not carry enough weight. There were three consecutive years of European football and there was no impending sense of doom whenWest Ham beat Fiorentinain the Conference League final in June 2023.Yet that glorious night in Prague is a distant...
The Story So Far
West Ham United are facing intense scrutiny regarding their leadership as the club’s top-flight status comes under threat. David Sullivan, the majority shareholder, has been highlighted as a central figure in a period of decline that reportedly began in 2022. Despite the success of three consecutive European campaigns and a trophy win against Fiorentina in Prague, critics suggest a lack of strategic foresight at the executive level has left the squad vulnerable. Internal warnings about the club’s direction were allegedly ignored by senior management. This situation has led to comparisons with the fate of clubs like Leicester, which suffered relegation shortly after achieving major success.
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