Relegated West Ham committed to Olympic move

The Upton Park's return to the second tier of English football was confirmed on Sunday after Avram Grant's men threw away a 2-0 half-time lead to lose 3-2 at Wigan Athletic's DW Stadium.

Speculation surrounding the future of the £486 million stadium move has intensified as the Hammers' financial status remains in the balance.

However, a spokesman for the club insisted: “We remain totally committed to it. Our target is to move there in three football season and we would hope that we would return to the Premier League as soon as possible.”

He added: “As far as our plans for the Olympic Stadium are concerned, we are continuing at a pace.”

West Ham won a joint bid with Newham Council to convert the stadium from an 80,000-seat to 60,000-seat arena, keeping the athletics track, signing a 250-year lease with UK Athletics (UKA).

The move is due to take place in time for the 2014/15 season, but both Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient are currently pressing ahead with judicial reviews of Newham Council’s role in arranging a £40 million loan to finance West Ham’s move.

By Colin O'Hanlon