BBC outline four big implications of West Ham being relegated to Championship

West Ham’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle means Spurs now just need a point from their remaining games against Chelsea and Everton.

There is a faint glimmer of hope that Tottenham might lose both and West Ham win against Leeds to stay up over their bitter rivals.

BBC outline the four major implications of relegation for West Ham

But the probability is very much in Tottenham’s favour with Opta giving West Ham just a six per cent chance of survival.

Most West Ham fans are resigned to the club’s fate.

We are all but relegated — how would you feel about keeping Nuno in the Championship? 🧑‍💼

Or was that performance the last straw? 😡

Many now feel the Hammers have one foot in the Championship, which is much more fiercely competitive than it was the last time the club was in the second tier 14 years ago.

What that means for West Ham on the surface is pretty obvious.

Besides the ignominy of being relegated by one of their biggest rivals while possibly watching former skipper Declan Rice lifting the title with Arsenal, relegation will clearly hit the club where it hurts on and off the pitch.

Now the BBC have outlined the four major implications of West Ham being relegated to Championship.

BBC Sport’s Alex Fletcher has listed the biggest factors West Ham face if they drop into the second division.

London Stadium complications

If West Ham are relegated, it could come at a cost of £2.5m to the London taxpayer. That’s because the club’s lease agreement for the London Stadium, signed off by former London Mayor Boris Johnson, said that West Ham would pay half of their £4.4m in annual rent in the event that they were relegated. Current mayor Sadiq Khan said it’s the ‘worst deal imaginable’. And with extra games in the Championship, their 62,500 seater stadium becomes even more problematic.

How do YOU feel about Jarrod Bowen as a West Ham United captain….

Clearly a legend but a few dissenting voices 👀

West Ham face seven-figure loss in revenue

Having had a tough financial year, an expert told the BBC that relegation would cost West Ham around £100m. Add to that a wage bill that’s four times the Championship average and the numbers don’t look good.

Goodbye to Hammers skipper Jarrod Bowen

Dropping down to the Championship would mean selling players and club captain Jarrod Bowen is likely to top that list. Selling him would ease the financial burden of relegation and these two (Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes) are other potential departures.

Another new manager for West Ham?

Nuno Espirito Santo’s future is far from clear. He was hired on a three-year contract last September but results this season have raised some questions. But Nuno does have some previous in the Championship, taking Wolves to the title in 2018.

The BBC paint a depressing picture.

And Troy Deeney believes things could get even worse for West Ham, with relegation to League One a possibility according to the former Premier League striker turned pundit.

The positives to relegation for West Ham

But there are some positives to relegation for West Ham if you look hard enough.

Arguably the single best thing about playing in the Championship next season will be the fact there will be no VAR.

Winning most weeks – as West Ham will be expected to in the second tier – will also quickly become very enjoyable after two years of dismal performances and results.

There is also a new safety net for West Ham when it comes to bouncing straight back. That’s because the Championship play-offs have been extended to include six teams instead of four from next season, meaning clubs all the way down to eighth place will be in with a shot of promotion to the Premier League.

Other positive factors to relegation for West Ham:

• New grounds
• Cheaper matchday experience
• Much-needed enforced squad clearouts
• More youth players involved in the first team
• Weed out senior figures who have failed the club
• Potential new ownership