Tuesday’s report from Sky Sports, which suggested West Ham couldn’t afford the wages of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, had me asking… why not?
I’ve no particular attachment to the former Villa man beyond thinking he’d improve our midfield. What struck me was the claim that his salary demands were too much for us to handle. That’s what sent me scrambling for a calculator.
Now, I’m no financial expert, and I certainly don’t have access to West Ham’s payroll, but even with a conservative approach, it feels like we’ve made serious savings on last season’s wages—enough to cover a £138k per week salary.
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Just to be clear, I’m not saying we should sign him—there are arguably more appealing targets—but to say we can’t afford him just doesn’t add up.
Doesn’t add-up: Luiz wage is £138k per week
I’ve tried to be cautious with my estimates, deliberately erring on the low side, but the club has offloaded several players either permanently or returning loanees. Here are some conservative weekly wage figures:
Michail Antonio – £75k
Aaron Cresswell – £60k
Łukasz Fabiański – £60k
Vladimír Coufal – £35k
Mohammed Kudus – £65k
Evan Ferguson – £35k
Carlos Soler – £85k
Danny Ings – £85k
That’s a minimum saving of around £500k per week. Yes, we’ve added Malick Diouf, Callum Wilson, and Kyle Walker-Peters—but they won’t have dented that figure significantly.
So why the claim we can’t pay for Luiz’s wages? It just doesn’t make sense.
Whilst we’re currently struggling to shift players, I’d be surprised if a bid doesn’t come in for Edson Álvarez before the window shuts. The club will also receive offers for Cornet, Rodríguez, and Irving—even if the fees are lower than we’d like.
There may not be a huge fund for transfer fees, but I do believe there’s room in the wage budget.