MOYES: I CAN FIX BROKEN HAMMERS.. JUST GIVE ME TIME

Boss vows to mend the club as Sullivan reveals serious financial consequences of relegation

DAVID MOYES says he wants to be the man to mend West Ham – on the day the owners revealed the club are in grave danger of going broke.

Annual figures released yesterday show a pre-tax loss of £28.2million and came with a warning from coowner David Sullivan that staying up was “an absolute necessity for the future wellbeing of the club”.

He added: “The principal business risk remains that of the football club being relegated from the Premier League with the serious financial consequences which follow.”

Despite a £214.4m net spend on players in the last four years, only goal difference is keeping the Hammers out of the relegation zone going into tonight’s clash with runaway leaders Liverpool at the London Stadium.

Moyes, though, in his second spell at the club, still believes he is the right man to sort out the turmoil and – just as he did with Everton – take them into the Champions League.

However, he warned West Ham fans it will take time – and hinted star players such as Declan Rice may have to be flogged to help balance the books along the way.

“I want to be the person who comes to mend the club and I always think the person who mends it is the manager and the team,” Moyes said. “I don’t think we can mend it immediately, but if we can get through this period, I think we can make things much better.

“When you spend the money, it’s when it doesn’t work you get questioned.

“Some clubs have had to spend an awful lot of money but have probably had enough sales to back that up.

“Even when we were at Everton, we had to sell Wayne Rooney along the journey. Did we want to sell him? No chance. I was heartbroken.

“Then there was Joleon Lescott. We got him from Wolves and then Manchester City were trying to sign our best players while I was trying

to make the club better. West Ham are on that journey – but we are only starting it as far as I am concerned.”

Unfortunately right now, academy protege Rice is really the club’s one major saleable asset.

Does that mean Moyes might have to sell the 21-year-old England international?

“I’m not for a minute using Declan as an example,” he said. “But if you’re a star player, you want to play for the star teams. That’s what happens – you lose your better players.

“I was only drawing reference that sometimes to be a successful manager you have to have a good team but also keep an eye on the bank balance as well.” Thankfully there is enough money in the coffers for now to sign versatile Czech Republic midfielder Tomas Soucek for £20m.

Moyes also confirmed a bid has gone in for another player, believed to be RB Salzburg rightback Rasmus Kristensen.

However, the club’s injury woes show little sign of abating, with Jack Wilshere due to go under the knife yet again for a hernia operation which will see him struggle to get fit again for the rest of the season.