'Self-destruct' or 'straight back up' for West Ham?published at 12:22 BST
Image source, Getty ImagesEx-Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley, left, is trying to buy into West Ham but current Hammers co-chair Daniel Kretinsky, right, is against her involvement in the club
We asked for your thoughts on West Ham's ongoing ownership tug of war and whether you think it will impact the club's ability to win promotion straight back to the Premier League this season.
Here are a selection of your responses:
Brendan: If West Ham can't begin to iron out their very obvious off-field problems, they won't have a chance in the Championship.
Baz: No signings. Three midfielders sold. Boardroom bickering. League One beckons.
Matt D: I only hope the fans stay behind the team as they have the power to ignite better performances. The London Stadium can be a fiery place when the lads aren't playing to the fans' high expectations and our best players/manager won't hang around much longer if we don't go straight back up. Get behind the team. Let's enjoy it.
Steven: This year is probably going to be a bit of a bumpy ride. The lack of a creative midfielder and squad depth means that we're going to struggle, and until the ownership situation is sorted I don't see us fixing both of those, at the very least efficiently.
Kevin: Optimism has gone. The idea of a Kretinsky/Staveley partnership, with AS eventually taking Sullivan's shares was mouthwatering. Now we're in limbo. No signings, the season only 10 days away. West Ham hit the self-destruct button again!
Julie: Need to buy some new players to have a realistic chance of going straight back up! There's still a couple of weeks left to secure some - there's money there so spend it please!!!
Roger: I think they will struggle because every team that comes to the London Stadium will feel like it is their cup final - huge stadium with a crowd of over 50.000. They will all raise their game & West Ham must match their intensity. On balance I think they will go up but might be via play-offs.
Charlie: I think we will get promoted with heavy firepower like Bowen and Taty, then Soucek as a solid player. With Hermansen in goal I think we will be comfortable at the back. Despite having no signings yet there is still time before the end of the transfer window.
Matt M: We've sold two key players, another has left after his loan ended, and now we've sold a perfectly capable squad player who's been at the club since he was six. All ok if there were incoming players to strengthen the promotion push, but while the boardroom power struggle continues, the fear is that no-one will sign off on paying fees for new signings. If that's the case, we'll struggle to even make the extended play-off places.
Kozan: I'm not liking the lack of investment so far. Since the mistakes made under Pellegrini and Lopetegui, we still haven't shown any clear transfer initiative. We've gone down, and yet we're still not prepared for this season. Players have left, and there are no replacements. Some of the squad are good - too good for the league - but they're not battle‑hardened enough to play twice a week. We need a left‑back, centre‑back, hold‑up striker, centre‑midfielder, and a playmaker. Until those positions are addressed, it's hard to see how we're supposed to compete.
