West Ham United valuation emerges as Tony Cottee makes £1billion claim
West Ham United have been told their realistic valuation after recent suggestions that £1billion would be needed from investors.
Tony Cottee believes the mess at the London Stadium would need someone to spend that huge figure to turn things around quickly.
The Irons have tasted European glory in recent years, but have worryingly dropped off a cliff this season.
David Sullivan’s mismanagement at the London Stadium with managerial appointments and transfers has seen the fans start to turn on him, with changes needed.
West Ham United realistically valued at £400m
Dan Plumley believes the Irons are valued at around £400million.
The football finance expert disagrees with Cottee’s suggestion, saying the £1bn could include the investment needed after purchasing the East London club.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Plumley said: “I think if you look at the valuation first, the finances have been in generally good shape for the last couple of years. So on a valuation, you’ve got to put them in the Newcastle, Everton ballpark: £350m, top end maybe £400m. But for a full purchase of the club, they’re in that kind of ballpark for sure.
“Now, if you take that figure of £1bn, that means we’re suggesting £500m to £600m over the top to do whatever. You need to see the details of what that looks like in terms of what he means by that. Probably some of that is money in the transfer market for players. That’s what they’ll be looking at, to strengthen the squad.
“We know it’s really tough to compete with the biggest teams in the Premier League financially, even for a West Ham.
“So I think the valuation is probably somewhere between £350m to £400m. And over the top, if you say you need another £500 to £600 million, that’s an awful lot of money, and, ultimately, that doesn’t guarantee you the top six, for example.
West Ham United require long-term vision
“I think you’d have to look at that in terms of the long term for me. What are you looking to do with that club in the long term? And I’d separate out the valuation from the billion. It’s a big figure, but the investment to grow West Ham would take time, and it’s not a quick fix, and you can’t just go in and throw £500m to £600m at it as well because of PSR.
“I think the two need to be separated out there: the overall number and actually the valuation of the club and what it would be worth.
“I think it’s easy to pluck figures. It’s easy to just land on numbers sometimes, isn’t it? But you’ve got to think about what those numbers are there to do and, as I say, what’s the driving force behind it.
“You might say that £500m isn’t enough to change that squad, to make it a top six. But it’s the aim, top six. But certainly, on a valuation, £350 to £400 would be a realistic and quite an achievable valuation. Then you’ve got to kick on from there.”
In the summer transfer window, the Hammers spent a considerable amount of money on bringing players like Jean-Clair Todibo to the London Stadium.
Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui at the Irons after the Spanish manager failed to bring the best out of the squad at his disposal.
| Team | Position in Premier League table (2024/25) |
| West Ham | 16th |
| Wolves | 17th |
| Ipswich Town | 18th |
| Leicester City | 19th |
| Southampton | 20th |
The former Chelsea boss has had a tough start at the East London club but managed to win against Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday (22 February).
As things stand, the Hammers are 16th in the Premier League, and while they aren’t under threat of relegation, they were expected to compete for a European spot in the current campaign, with change seemingly needed.