West Ham players face massive 50 per cent pay cuts if the club fails to overturn their current seven-point deficit from Premier League safety.
West Ham United’s first-team squad members are facing a mandatory 50 per cent reduction in their salaries should the club be relegated to the Championship.
This long-standing contractual stipulation aims to mitigate a potential 75 per cent loss in total revenue resulting from demotion.
However, a club source indicates the clause has hampered current recruitment efforts, making it increasingly difficult to convince January targets to join a side currently sitting 18th in the Premier League.
The Hammers find themselves seven points adrift of safety after losing 13 of their 21 league fixtures this season.
Despite the mounting pressure and poor form, manager Nuno Espirito Santo remains optimistic about survival, bolstered by recent signings Pablo Felipe and Valentin Castellanos.
Nuno maintains that the gap is “not over,” asserting, “We have to keep believing, keep working hard and chasing this good run that we need.”
The head coach remains defiant regarding the club’s top-flight status, citing the squad’s daily work ethic as the primary reason for his confidence.
Nuno explained, “The players (give me confidence we can do it) with the way they work, the way they are determined to change things around.”
While the board has supported him financially, the manager admits the team “still need bodies” to successfully navigate their way out of the bottom three.