Top-four finish ‘realistic’ for West Ham – Sullivan

Mark Holmes
West Ham: Celebrate their best start for 40 years

West Ham: Celebrate their best start for 40 years

David Sullivan believes a top-four finish is realistic for West Ham this season, with Slaven Bilic also feeling confident as injuries ease.

The Hammers have made a fine start to the campaign under Bilic and are third in the Premier League after 10 games, just two points off the top.

Sullivan accepts going on to take the title may be a long shot, but that is not preventing him from thinking big.

The West Ham joint-chairman told the club’s website: “We’re very, very optimistic. I’m not talking it down. I want to talk it up. I believe it’s achievable.

“It’s a big myth. I mean look at what’s gone wrong with Chelsea – that looked an impossibility – so why shouldn’t the opposite happen to us?

“In football, we’re here to dream. At the start of the season we were in four competitions and the aim was to win those four.

“Now we’re down to two – we’ve got the big double left – and it’s very, very unlikely but not impossible.”

West Ham have bold ambitions for the future with the club moving into London’s Olympic Stadium next season.

Taking Champions League football to that arena is an obvious future target but, given current form, Sullivan thinks it could be possible from next year.

He said: “If you’d asked at the start of the season I would have said it’s impossible this year. That said and done, it’s not impossible this season. Forget dreaming in the future.

“The unfortunate thing is that if you finish fourth you have to play a qualifying game – and no doubt we’d get a real toughie – like the fourth best team in Spain or Italy!

“Realistically, I’d love (to finish) fourth now and we’d take our chances. I know it’s unlikely, but it really is possible. One more win and we’d be top of the table, looking down!

“I’m not sure how clever that would be as it’d really put pressure on people – it’s not bad to be two (points) off the lead.”

West Ham have been linked with Brazil forward Alexandre Pato and AC Milan midfielder Keisuke Honda this week, but Bilic is delighted with the strength of his squad as Alex Song prepares to join Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia in returning to fitness.

The Croatian has not, however, completely ruled out reinforcements when the transfer window re-opens in the new year.

He said: “We will see in January, but they are just rumours. We have done the majority of the job in August and I’m happy with the team.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re not, if possible, going to get one or two or offload one or two, but nothing major in terms of numbers.

“But if something exceptional comes our way then you never know. But we have done our job and we are OK.

“We are expecting some good players, like Carroll who came back, like Valencia who came back, and now we’re expecting Song. So three of them are going to be our best signings.”

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