Crystal Palace showed West Ham how serious they were about avoiding relegation with a net spend of £63m whilst the Hammers were one of only three clubs to actually make money.

At this point, hardly any West Ham fans will be surprised to discover that at a moment when the club needed to spend their way to safety, they instead chose to stick rather than twist. It now seems David Sullivan isn’t even pretending anymore, with West Ham neither spending to remain in the Premier League nor properly preparing for life in the Championship.

The official figures for the winter window make for grim reading. Palace top the table with a £63m net spend. Manchester City weren’t far behind at £56.5m. Even clubs like Fulham, Sunderland and Brentford backed themselves. Meanwhile, West Ham sat near the bottom, recording a net profit of £6.8m.

A Board Pulling the Handbrake

That number tells its own story. In a relegation scrap, West Ham chose to bank cash rather than invest it. Bournemouth and Wolves both went further, posting significant profits while still attempting to reshape their squads. But unlike West Ham, Wolves have at least shown signs of planning and direction...