West Ham could go into the 2021-22 Premier League season as favourites to win the league title.
That is a sentence even the most optimistic Hammers fan surely would never have believed. But if the football authorities go through with the threat of expulsion for clubs involved in the European Super League it could come to pass.
UEFA, the English FA and the Premier League responded to reports of the formation of the European Super League with a strong statement that said: "The clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams."
If the European Super League goes ahead and the six English 'founder members' of the tournament, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, are expelled from the Premier League, next year's English top-tier competition could have a very different feel to it.
Only Leicester City would start the 2021-22 campaign with any previous Premier League title-winning experience with Leeds United the most recent other league champions as First Division winners in 1992.
West Ham could arguably make the strongest case for starting the new-look Premier League as favourites for the title.
Leicester are currently one point ahead of the Hammers in the league table with a game in hand on David Moyes' team but West Ham's record against the remaining 13 teams is by far the best in the league.
The only non 'big six' team West Ham have lost to this season is Newcastle United, who have accounted for two of the Hammer's nine league defeats this campaign.
Were the 'big six' to be expelled from the current campaign and their results expunged, West Ham leapfrog Leicester and take a nine-point league at the top of the table.
| Position | Club | Played | Points |
| 1. | West Ham United | 21 | 49 |
| 2. | Leicester City | 22 | 40 |
| 3. | Leeds United | 22 | 39 |
| 4. | Aston Villa | 21 | 34 |
| 5. | Everton | 21 | 34 |
| 6. | Crystal Palace | 22 | 32 |
| 7. | Newcastle United | 23 | 32 |
| 8. | Southampton | 21 | 30 |
| 9. | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 22 | 30 |
| 10. | Brighton and Hove Albion | 22 | 26 |
| 11. | Burnley | 21 | 26 |
| 12. | Fulham | 23 | 21 |
| 13. | West Bromwich Albion | 21 | 17 |
| 14. | Sheffield United | 21 | 11 |
The revised table highlights two key things from a West Ham perspective, first the good news, the Hammers have been excellent against the non 'big six' teams.
The bad news, however, is a sign of how poor West Ham's results have been against the 'big six'. So far this season Moyes' team has played 11 matches against the traditional giants of the English game and have taken just six points.
The only win came against Spurs with the Hammers winning 2-1 at the London Stadium in February..
With just one 'big six' clash left for the Hammers, even a win against Chelsea on Saturday will not add too much gloss to their record against the want-away clubs.
A victory over the Blues would however see West Ham firmly in control of their own destiny when it comes to potential European qualification for next season no matter what happens with the European Super League.
If the 'big six' do go off on their own and the football authorities are true to their word West Ham could well be in line for a title tilt next season.
