After moving into the venue used for the 2012 Olympics in London for the 2016-17 season, the Hammers have seen their capacity capped to a maximum of 57,000 for home games.
Amid plenty of unrest about the stadium move from home fans, the light at the end of the tunnel was that the Hammers could compete better financial with the perennial giants of the Premier League as they would almost double their attendances at Upton Park.
The east London club released a statement on Monday confirming they can now expand their capacity to a maximum 66,000 seats and will be able to start selling 60,000 tickets for games straight away.
“West Ham United and its landlord E20 have today agreed a plan which allows the Club to sell additional seats for their matches thereby ending the litigation surrounding the capacity at the London Stadium. Both parties are delighted to have taken the first step towards the Stadium reaching its potential of up to 66,000 capacity, to their mutual benefit, and would see it become the largest in London and the second largest in the Premier League.
“The arrangement means that, subject to regulatory permissions, the Club will be able to sell up to 60,000 tickets for their games as soon as possible and leaves scope to expand up to 66,000 seats for future matches.”
This is pretty huge news for West Ham, who will able to add almost 10,000 extra seats on a matchday.
If the stadium does reach the 66,000 capacity level in the coming months, it means that only Old Trafford will have a larger capacity among club teams in the UK. West Ham will jump ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham in London in terms of stadium size and will have the biggest home venue of any London team.
Bragging rights for this type of thing is a big deal and West Ham have been hoping to expand ever since they moved in.
With a waiting list for season tickets after 50,000 were sold following their move from Upton Park in 2016, more of the Hammers faithful can now watch their team week in, week out.
Whatever their feelings on the move to the London Stadium, if West Ham’s fans are 100 percent behind their team then this venue has the possibility to be extremely intimidating.
Brad Guzan — 4 — He’s going to get his chances due to a long track record with the national team, but his days as the presumed No. 1 must be done.
Jorge Villafana (Off 88′) — 4 — Not so good, Al.
Matt Miazga — 5 — The best you could say is it could’ve been worse for the Nantes man, as balls zipped through the 18 a bit too often.
John Brooks — 6 — A step better than Miazga, but would be better served in a back three.
DeAndre Yedlin — 5 — Active if inaccurate on the right edge, one of the players who looked the least intimidated by the competition.
Tim Weah (Off 76′) — 5 — Largely anonymous.
Wil Trapp (Off 70′) — 6 — Very busy in the center of the pitch, and probably the standout performer for the first hour in terms of the USMNT.
Weston McKennie (Off 76′) — 5 — Not his best day, but industrious in the center of the park.
Christian Pulisic — 4 — Had his moments, of course, but this was certainly not his day on a fairly decent sized stage (here in America). His 3 of a first half amended a bit by a 5 or 6 in the second stage, but the first part gets weighted because that’s when they needed their star. Heavy is the head…
Julian Green (Off 62′) — 4 — A couple moments of danger including a hard hit at Jordan Pickford, but largely anonymous.
Bobby Wood — 5 — Ran his shorts off, as usual, but lacked the instincts to prepare for a golden header chance and then dawdled in wasting a chance to spring Kenny Saief on goal.
Subs
Tyler Adams (On 62′) — 6 — A part of the steadying influence in the team during the second half.
Kellyn Acosta (On 70′) — 6 — Barely missed a beat in sliding in for Trapp, who had lofty responsibilities on the day.
So are the ominous words of Danijel Arnautovic, the brother and agent of West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic, in saying the player wants to play in the Champions League as soon as possible.
The Austrian forward, 29, is combustible but industrious as a player, and his brother says he nearly left West Ham for a Champions League club in the summer. And, again, they are probing.
This one day after admitting he’s been playing hurt for the Hammers. That’s sure to drive his value up, up, up.
“He’s a big part of West Ham’s team but I think it’s possible to tease out more of him. For that to happen, he has to play for a top team. Marko is ready for the next step. A player like him should not play against relegation. He should play for the international spots. Marko is really enjoying playing for West Ham. He loves that club and the fans. But there is still that feeling, that this cannot be the end. And everybody should understand that.”
Marko Arnautovic’s two most productive seasons have come in the last three years, with 11-goal campaigns for Stoke City (2015-16) and West Ham (2017-18), but he’s on his way to better with five goals in 10 PL matches so far this season.
He could certainly be more productive with top service, but the Irons are growing into the sort of side which can get him further up the goal charts.
That said, they are unlikely to play in the Champions League any time soon, and Marko Arnautovic would be 31 going into the UCL campaign should they make a run up the table next season.
West Ham playmaker Marko Arnautovic is in his second season with the Hammers, and while leading West Ham with five goals on the season, he’s definitely not 100%. Still, his team needs him – both club and country – and so he’ll keep suiting up even through the pain.
Arnautovic, on international duty with Austria, admitted to hometown media that he needs regular medical treatment to stay on the pitch this season.
“I can not say if I’ll get an injection on Thursday,” Arnautovic said. “In my knee, fluid accumulates again and again. Of course, there are people who say they should rest themselves and do nothing for a week, but it’s just difficult.”
Arnautovic would not elaborate on the type of injection he is receiving, but it’s likely a steroid or other anti-inflammatory injection to keep the swelling in his knee to a minimum. He also may be having his knee drained, a painful process that involves physically removing fluid buildup through a syringe.
The 29-year-old was originally injured in a 3-1 win over Everton in mid-September, the club’s first win of the season. He was withdrawn from that match in the 64th minute after scoring a goal and assisting another, and missed the subsequent Premier League match against Chelsea. He returned to play 83 minutes against Manchester United the next time out, and has missed only one match since, playing the full 90 minutes in the other three.
To keep his knee as healthy as possible, Arnautovic told Sky Sports earlier last month that he was avoiding training too much. “The knee is not the best but I am fit and I can play,” Arnautovic said. “I’m not training a lot at West Ham to try and my knee calm.”
“After a game I need some rest for about two or three days. By the middle of the week I am training normally with the team, training in full. And on the weekend I can play, that is the most important thing. Obviously you can’t do anything on this bone bruise.”
We told you this weekend could provide big tumult in the power rankings, as several clubs in close proximity tangled in the Premier League, and the matches delivered in a big way.
20. Fulham — Much better against Liverpool than recent opposition, but still on pace to break the Premier League record for goals allowed. Last week: 20 Season high: 11 Season low: 20
19. Huddersfield Town — A nice point against West Ham, but it’s difficult to look at the match and think the Terriers would’ve managed a point from performances of that ilk more than once in a great while. Last week: 19 Season high: 18 Season low: 20
18. Burnley — Still capable of solid performances, but the attack looks like a relegation candidate more often than not. Last week: 15 Season high: 13 Season low: 20
17. Crystal Palace *New season low* — A victim of the schedule? Sure, but there’s little to like about the attack as even Wilfried Zaha appears shaken in confidence. Last week: 14 Season high: 6 Season low: 17
Zaha (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
16. Cardiff City — Aided in a big way by Dale Stephens red card, but the Bluebirds are looking less and less like the automatic relegation team of early weeks. Last week: 16 Season high: 16 Season low: 20
15. Southampton — Probably deserved all three points against Watford, but looking ready to take the next step despite a miserly start points-wise. Last week: 17 Season high: 13 Season low: 17
14. Newcastle United — Rafa Benitez‘s men are the pound-for-pound defensive champions of the league. Only six teams have allowed fewer goals, and only one is lower than 7th on the table (Wolves, 11th). Last week: 16 Season high: 13 Season low: 19
13. Brighton and Hove Albion — Two-straight losses following the 2-1 defeat at Cardiff, in what draws Bournemouth as the top disappointments of the week. Last week: 10 Season high: 9 Season low: 19
12. West Ham — Manuel Pellegrini‘s men had to work hard to get a point from Huddersfield Town, and is hoping Samir Nasri can help fill the hole left by Andriy Yarmolenko‘s injury. A big ask? Last week: 13
Season high: 9
Season low: 20
11. Watford — Hornets looking more and more like early over-performers. Last week: 12 Season high: 4 Season low: 14
10. Wolves — Gave Arsenal all it could handle, but fans should be demanding more from a club which thrives against big clubs but has not performed against several seemingly lesser sides. Last week: 13 Season high: 5 Season low: 13
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ruben Neves. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
9. Leicester City — To take four of six points with a trip to their owner’s funeral in Thailand sandwiched in between is a serious achievement. Last week: 9 Season high: 7 Season low: 13
8. Bournemouth — Eddie Howe will be raging with his Cherries for their performance at Newcastle United, a lost chance to sit a point back of Arsenal. Last week: 8 Season high: 6 Season low: 12
7. Manchester United — Count our own Joe Prince-Wright among those tired of the excuses for Jose Mourinho’s struggles at Old Trafford. The gulf between his men and Man City is huge. Last week: 6 Season high: 4 Season low: 14
6. Everton — Two weeks to prepare for a visit from Cardiff, and then the away Merseyside Derby. If the Toffees manage a draw at Liverpool, it’s not unreasonable to think they should nab 10 from their next 12 points. Last week: 7 Season high: 5 Season low: 13
5. Arsenal — Beat Everton in September, and that will keep the Gunners ahead of the impressive Toffees… for now. Last week: 4 Season high: 2 Season low: 9
4. Chelsea — Surely the draw vs. Everton is a case of a decent opponent and Europa League lag, but championship winners generally find a way to get the winner at home. Last week: 3 Season high: 1 Season low: 5
3. Liverpool — It seems unrealistic to expect blowouts each week, but the Reds’ 2-0 win over a defensively-weak Fulham was tepid at best. Last week: 2 Season high: 1 Season low: 4
2. Spurs *New season high* — Despite injury and form problems for pretty much all of its biggest stars, Spurs sit three points back of second, are two rounds from the League Cup final, and aren’t dead in the Champions League. Yes, Spurs were by far second-best in a Sept. 15 home loss to the Reds, but it’s been two months.
Their next two league matches are home to Chelsea and away to Arsenal, so the heights could be brief, but what Spurs have done in the face of wild injuries is impressive. Last week: 4 Season high: 2 Season low: 8
1. Man City — For everyone mentioning the absence of Paul Pogba for United in the derby, City was missing Kevin De Bruyne. This team is hearkening back to Pep’s best Barcelona teams, without a Lionel Messi in the bunch. Last week: 1 Season high: 1 Season low: 2
