Finance expert relays £28.2m West Ham boost as UEFA document emerges
West Ham earned €32m (£28.2m) for reaching the UEFA Europa League semi-final last season, according to Finance expert Swiss Ramble.
The Hammers fell short of reaching their first major European final for 46 years when they suffered a 3-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt last year May.
And Finance expert Swiss Ramble [19 April] took to Twitter to reveal a UEFA document showing how much English clubs received for their participation in last season’s tournament, with the East Londoners pocketing a healthy sum.
They tweeted: “In England West Ham earned €32m for reaching the Europa League semi-finals. Leicester City got €18m, even though they did not get out of their group (plus another €6m after dropping down to Europa Conference).
“Both clubs benefited from England’s high TV pool.”
A step further?
West Ham certainly received a healthy sum for their participation in the Europa League semi-final last season, but it seems as if they’ve been blinded by that figure heading into this season, with the club suffering something of a major hangover in the Premier League where they’re currently facing a relegation battle, a far cry from what they achieved both domestically and on the European front last term.
However, the Hammers seem to be on the road to feature in another European semi-final with the club facing off against Gent in the second leg of their Europa Conference League tie at the London Stadium on Thursday, providing the club gets through this match, they are certainly on course to feature in yet another semi-final showpiece.
But can they go that step further this time round, despite all the troubles they’ve faced so far in the Premier League? David Moyes will feel he has the players to do just that, and what a way to cap off a rather disappointing campaign if they achieve an unprecedented European triumph.
Although their Premier League status isn’t guaranteed, which makes you wonder what the fans will prefer: a European gong or a Premier League safety? Considering the prestige of West Ham, they should ideally be targeting both.