Nils Koppen must be rubbing his hands after West Ham’s £153m windfall | OneFootball

New West Ham director of recruitment, Nils Koppen, will be rubbing his hands at the sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville

West Ham United's summer business is yet to get up and running despite an array of links, but with another massive sale on the horizon, new director of recruitment Nils Koppen must be licking his lips.

Following relegation back to the Championship after a 14-year stint in the Premier League, West Ham are yet to truly get up and running this summer.

After over a month since the window opened, Venezuelan winger Keiber Lamadrid remains the only permanent addition following his loan spell in East London, though links to players from almost every corner of the globe have emerged.

Leicester City's Harry Souttar, Auxerre's Kevin Danois, and Slavia Prague's Tomáš Chorý are just a few of numerous names that have been linked with a switch to the London Stadium this summer recently, as incoming director of recruitment, Nils Koppen, gets busy.

The former Rangers and FC Copenhagen employee will be keen to work closely with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo to prepare the Hammers' squad for an immediate return to the Premier League, and could be set for another cash injection after recent news, which the Belgian will no doubt be hugely excited about.

West Ham United are set to pocket around £153 million following sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville

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Incomings have been scarce at the London Stadium thus far, but so have outgoings.

However, though departures have also been few and far between at West Ham, they are set to bank around £153 million in just two sales this summer.

Mateus Fernandes joined West Ham in August 2025 for around £40 million following Southampton's relegation from the Premier League, whilst Crysencio Summerville joined in August 2024 for around £25 million from Leeds United.

Both featured regularly for the Hammers last campaign, but neither was able to single-handedly keep the club afloat despite their best efforts, as interest in the Portuguese midfielder and Dutch winger grew tenfold following relegation.

Fernandes, 21, has since joined Tottenham Hotspur for a staggering £85 million, whilst Summerville, 24, is on the cusp of completing a £68 million move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal.

The Hammers are set to bank around £153 million in total from both deals combined, with around £88 million of that being profit.

With club captain Jarrod Bowen signing a new deal, fears of his exit have been waved away, as Koppen must now focus on new additions to the squad following these lucrative sales.

It goes without saying that West Ham will have the biggest budget of any club to have ever played in the Championship, and Koppen has been tasked with the role of rebuilding the Hammers' squad to a level which can comfortably secure promotion, and then subsequently survive once back in the Premier League.

Fernandes and Summerville's presences on the pitch will no doubt be huge losses, but West Ham's bank balance must firmly be in the green after these two deals despite relegation.

The likes of El Hadji Malick Diouf, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Edson Alvarez have also been linked with moves elsewhere this summer, as yet more money could be heading West Ham's way.

Koppen must be thrilled with the riches he has been afforded upon his arrival in East London, with the Belgian given ample leg room to work with in the transfer market.

Though with less than a month to go until the Championship season is officially underway, things must speed up at West Ham sooner rather than later, as Koppen must put these riches to good use.

Nuno Espirito Santo must be urging Nils Koppen to begin West Ham's summer transfer business

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With Fernandes out the door and Summerville not far behind, those two deals alone are likely to be Championship record sales for some time.

How much West Ham are able to spend this summer remains to be seen, though with £150 million incoming on the sales of just two players, one can imagine that it is a sizeable amount more than the average Championship side.

Koppen will be well aware of the riches afforded to him, and must continue to work closely with Nuno to identify targets that have the capability of making a huge difference in the second tier, though things must speed up at West Ham sooner rather than later, with pre-season now well underway.