Peter Crouch made a controversial claim on West Ham.
(Credit: TNT Sports on Youtube/Imago)
Declan Carr
Sat 9 August 2025 14:40, UK
Peter Crouch is the latest high-profile pundit to predict a miserable season for West Ham.
The Hammers enter the 2025/26 Premier League campaign with little expectation after a dismal season last time out.
Graham Potter could only guide them to a 14th-place finish, and the summer business at the London Stadium has failed to inspire confidence that it will get better for many observers.
That is reflected in the way that the Irons are being talked about at the moment.
Graham Potter
Potter faces a difficult season at West Ham (Credit: Imago)
Crouch believes West Ham may be relegation candidates
The London Stadium outfit have been tipped as a potential candidate to be relegated to the Championship.
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Former Tottenham striker Crouch believes that it is a genuine possibility for Potter’s side, and the newly promoted sides will fancy their chances of staying up.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ Premier League Preview (8 August), Crouch said: “There are teams that have struggled; they’ve lost players.
“Look at West Ham, I think Wolves can get dragged in. Have Everton strengthened enough? How will they fare in their new stadium?
“I do think there are teams that if you are those promoted teams, you are looking at if you finish above them, you’ll stay up. So, there is hope for them.”
West Ham fans will take exception to Crouch’s claims
Crouch claims that the Irons have lost players, but they have already replaced the likes of Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio.
The Hammers have brought in Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back, Malick El Hadji Diouf to bolster their options at left-back and Callum Wilson up front.
There is still plenty of time for them to seal deals to add extra quality to the squad, too; it is not all doom and gloom like Crouch suggested.
Crouch had previously mooted a ridiculous relegation play-off idea, and named West Ham as one of the teams that could be in it
Potter’s side should have enough to finish higher than the promoted teams, especially if David Sullivan, who is in charge of transfers, can secure a few more additions.
The data supports that conclusion too, as the Opta supercomputer has predicted that West Ham will finish in 16th place with the squad at their disposal.
Only 22 per cent of their 10,000 simulations had the East London outfit being relegated, which means that it would take a disastrous campaign for it to happen.
As long as Sullivan and Co. can bring in the right players for Potter, the E20 side should be safe, and Crouch’s claims should be proved wrong.
Whether that is the case or not remains to be seen, but supporters will be furious to be tagged as easy pickings for the fresh meat in the top-flight.
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