West Ham United have been labelled one of the overwhelming favourites for Championship promotion by Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg, who believes the quality available to Nuno Espírito Santo is “ridiculous”.
The Hammers begin their league campaign away at Burnley on Sunday after dropping out of the Premier League alongside Wolves.
Middlesbrough are also expected to challenge near the top of the division, but Hellberg believes West Ham and Wolves start the season with a clear advantage.
West Ham Championship promotion squad earns Hellberg praise
Speaking ahead of Middlesbrough’s opening fixture against Lincoln City, Hellberg told The Scottish Sun that it would be impossible to ignore the strength of the two relegated clubs.
Discussing West Ham specifically, the Boro boss said the quality available to Nuno was “in many ways ridiculous”.
Hellberg added that West Ham and Wolves “must be the favourites” when the Championship season begins, although he remains confident Middlesbrough can challenge them near the top.
His assessment reflects the expectation already surrounding West Ham.
ReadWestHam’s Championship promotion guide placed the Hammers among the leading favourites for an immediate Premier League return, with Wolves and Burnley also expected to challenge.
Those expectations have only increased as West Ham have strengthened Nuno’s squad.
The Hammers have retained captain Jarrod Bowen and moved aggressively in the transfer market, including reaching a reported £22million agreement with Celtic for midfielder Arne Engels.
Hellberg’s comments are particularly interesting because Middlesbrough are viewed as genuine promotion contenders themselves.
Boro narrowly missed out last season and have invested heavily this summer, but their manager still regards West Ham’s resources and squad quality as the benchmark.
That echoes Jeff Stelling’s recent assessment of the Championship promotion race, although Stelling argued West Ham still needed further attacking additions to match Middlesbrough and Wolves.
Nuno now has to turn that reputation into results.
West Ham may possess one of the strongest squads in the division, but a 46-game Championship season will quickly expose any weaknesses. Sunday’s trip to Burnley is the first opportunity to justify the confidence being placed in them by their promotion rivals.
