Chris Sutton shares new West Ham United relegation verdict after loss v Tottenham
Chris Sutton has backed West Ham United to avoid relegation from the Premier League despite their disappointing defeat to Tottenham.
Julen Lopetegui’s side returned from the international break with a 4-1 defeat in North London on Saturday (19 October) with the loss compounded by the late sending off of Mohammed Kudus.
The defeat leaves the Irons 15th in the Premier League table and five points clear of the relegation zone, but BBC Sport pundit Sutton expects the Hammers to dodge the drop despite one supporter’s concerns.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live’s 606 (19 October, 1:16:15) he said: “You think West Ham will go down? I think they’ve had a poor start, but I think West Ham have the quality of players.
“You think that Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton and Ipswich Town, will all finish above West Ham do you?”
The fan replied: “I think the three that will go down will be Ipswich, Southampton and West Ham, I know it’s a big call but I’ll call up at the end of the season and you guys can call me right eventually.”
Will West Ham be relegated after Julen Lopetegui developments at the London Stadium?
While there is plenty to be concerned about at the London Stadium at this moment in time, it would be an overreaction to suggest that there is a realistic chance of relegation at this stage of the season.
The Hammers have been massively off of the pace and were pulled apart in the second half by Ange Postecoglou’s side, but they are definitely not one of the three worst teams in the division currently and that shows in their results.
Against both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town, Lopetegui’s side have impressed. While fans will want to see the Hammers compete with the likes of Spurs and Chelsea, those aren’t the games that keep you in the Premier League.
With Lopetegui at the helm, the Irons will have more than enough to dodge the drop into the Championship. The issue is, that wasn’t the expectation this year.
Fans and pundits alike backed the Irons to challenge for the European places once again and while that isn’t the case, Lopetegui and his side will remain under pressure.
In other West Ham news, Thomas Frank has been backed to exit Brentford to move to the London Stadium
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