West Ham and Everton have little left to fight for but pride and league position this season but their future could look very different.
Graham Potter and David Moyes have breathed new life into West Ham and Everton.
But both clubs are out of both cups, have no European football, can’t realistically be relegated and have no chance of making Europe either.
The Hammers and Toffees disappointed their fans with a lack of business in the winter window.
Both clubs signed a striker each with Evan Ferguson and Carlos Alcaraz arriving on loan deals.
Just over a year ago struggling Everton could only dream of getting back competing with the likes of West Ham for the European places.
As he had done so well at Everton the first time around, Moyes had given the Hammers some of their best years of modern times.
Including the highlight – a first major trophy for 43 years.
Potter snubbed Toffees for Hammers on return to management
While Everton were battling relegation again, Moyes had West Ham in the top six, one win off the top four, going into 2024.
Going into 2025, though, it says everything that Moyes has since been succeeded twice in east London and is now back at Everton for a second spell.
Like many at Everton during his first spell, West Ham fans wanted change from Moyes’ risk averse style.
Hammers fans were hugely underwhelmed by the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as his replacement. Their instincts were spot on.
Lopetegui was a disaster and was sacked – three months too late in many supporters’ eyes – last month.
Potter came in and brought in Kyle Macauley from Chelsea as West Ham’s new head of recruitment.
Tim Steidten, who fell out with Moyes and Lopetegui, has also now been sacked.
Potter has brought a bit of hope back to West Ham after a torrid calendar year under Moyes and Lopetegui.
The style and approach is much more in line with what Hammers fans want and expect.
Moyes has given the Toffees a huge lift too despite their FA Cup exit at home to Bournemouth.
So much so Moyes now has a chance of finishing above West Ham with Everton this season.
Potter may regret choosing West Ham over Everton
With ambitious new owners in place and a lovely new stadium on the way – that, unlike West Ham’s, is close to the pitch – there is excitement on the horizon at Everton.
Especially as Moyes has made it clear the club will be able to spend more in the summer having faced a relentless PSR battle in recent seasons.
West Ham spent £155m when Moyes left. But so poor was the rebuild that another overhaul is needed this summer to bring in players Potter and his new head of recruitment want.
But Potter may regret choosing West Ham over Everton after a new board leak.
West Ham majority owner David Sullivan decided to sack Lopetegui following 5-0 and 4-1 defeats to Liverpool and Man City.
But Hammers News exclusively revealed that it was in fact Everton who were responsible for West Ham’s sudden U-turn on the manager.
The Toffees made a serious offer to Potter after he was left on standby to take over at the London Stadium for more than a month.
In the end, though, Potter used Everton’s interest to get West Ham to match the two-and-a-half year contract being offered on Merseyside and he signed up to manage the Hammers instead.
He may already be wondering whether he’s made the right choice.
Everton excitement in contrast to grim West Ham summer claims
After the club only managed to bring in one player on loan for Potter before the deadline, all eyes have been turning to the summer.
It has been suggested that West Ham wanted to keep their powder dry to go big backing Potter in the next window.
But while Moyes has been promised transfers to usher in Everton’s new era at Bramley-Moore Dock, West Ham’s owners have let it be known the cupboard is bare.
Sean Whetstone is a close confidant of both Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.
The leading Hammers insider has painted a grim picture of the summer window plans at West Ham.
Whetstone claims says Potter faces a difficult window with Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and/or other West Ham stars needing to be sold in order to make any signings.
Information from Whetstone’s West Ham sources states Potter has ‘tough decisions to make this summer if he wants to reshape his squad’.
‘Potter has tough decisions to make if he wants signings’
And Hammers News warned this could be coming after it was revealed West Ham forfeited £4m to borrow £65m of £69m owed to them by other clubs.
“West Ham have already committed €40m (£33.3m) of transfer spend this summer for the obligation to buy Jean Clair Todibo from Nice,” Whetstone says.
“Accounts show that West Ham borrowed against against money owed to them by other clubs for player sales. The Hammers sold £69m of transfer payments for £64m paying £5.1m in interest as part of the deal. This is equivalent to a payday loan.
“The club continue to borrow money from Barclays banks secured against land and leases re-entered a temporary loan repayable this summer of £45m with losses of up to £80m forecast this season Potter and Kyle Macaulay could be forced to sell either Paqueta, Kudus or other players to fund a summer purchase spree.”
Potter can be forgiven for thinking he made have made a mistake.
Not that West Ham fans are complaining given how enthused they’ve been by his football thus far.
West Ham are the 17th richest football club in the world in terms of income.
West Ham’s ownership are the third wealthiest in the entire Premier League.
It certainly won’t feel like it for Potter or fans reading that leak.
