'Put my neck on the line now' - Joe Cole issues bold West Ham relegation prediction
Pundit Joe Cole has had his say on how he things the relegation battle will play out.
Former West Ham star Joe Cole has made a bold relegation prediction involving the Hammers. The Iron have fought valiantly to reduce the gap between themselves and safety over recent weeks, and they are now just two points below the dotted line.
There are tougher games to come over the next few weeks, but as things stand, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are in a position to fight for safety, and fans will be grateful for that opportunity given how things looked just a month or so ago.
With the race for safety now an exciting one, we are starting to see pundits cast their predictions for whether West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham or Leeds United will suffer or beat the drop this season. Former Hammer Cole is the latest to put his neck on the line, so to speak, while speaking on The Dressing Room Podcast.
“I look at it and go, ‘Right, what has he done, Nuno?’,” Cole began. “He’s gone, ‘Right, I’ve got [Axel] Disasi and [Dinos] Mavropanos, two proper centre-halves. We’re going to play a low block and they’re going to defend the box.
“[Aaron] Wan-Bissaka and [El Hadji Malick] Diouf, I think they are very good players. Wan-Bissaka, arguably, one of our best players last year.” I look at them and go, ‘I think they’re going to get out of it’.”
Cole went on to add: “Do you think they will? Because I think they will. I’m happy to put my neck on the line now, I think West Ham will stay up.”
West Ham have plenty of work to do to proe Cole right, and the upcoming run of fixtures could play a key role in defining their bid to avoid the Championship. The Hammers now face Liverpool, Fulham, Manchester City and Aston Villa in their next four Premier League games.
Half the battle will be staying in the mix through those games, and if they do, there are some more winnable games against Wolves. Crystal Palace, Everton and Leeds United on the schedule down the road, albeit they also have to face Arsenal, Newcastle United and Brentford before the season concludes.
Your next West Ham read, Liverpool vs West Ham early injury news as 7 ruled out and 2 doubts