"We're hoping to bring in one or two top players but the Olympic Stadium gives us about £12m a year in extra income. It doesn't give us £100m a year in extra income."
Those are the words of West Ham co-owner David Sullivan as expectation grows about the development as they begin a new and potentially exciting phase in their history.
Tonight will be their final match at the Boleyn Grounds, the stadium we colloquially refer to as Upton Park.
It has been their home since 1904. But that ground only has a capacity of 35,000 seats and in today's reality, increasing revenue streams from many different areas is key.
While TV broadcast revenue is where the real big bucks are for Premier League clubs thanks to the colossal £5.1 billion deal which starts next season, match-day income is also significant, especially when it comes to corporate seating.
Just look at Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham who are either expanding their current stadia or hoping to build new ones.
The Boleyn Ground Picture by: Anthony Devlin / PA Wire/Press Association Images
The Olympic stadium move almost doubles West Ham's home match capacity with a rise from 35,000 to 60,000 and the club have already sold 50,000 season tickets which suggests they won't have any trouble filling it.
The added bonus is that the Hammers will pay just (in Premier League terms) €2.5 million as part of their tenancy agreement.
In comparison, Arsenal who financed their current stadium at an estimated cost of almost €500 million, had to cut back on transfer revenue with a necessity to sell some major stars which Arsene Wenger had to endure during a relatively lean period when he still managed to get the Gunners into the Champions League every season.
55,000 season tickets sold at new stadium by West Ham. That and financial reality of new TV deal - likely to be regular top 4 contendors
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) May 9, 2016
But they are now reaping the rewards of their expansion off the pitch since leaving historic Highbury for The Emirates, with a near trebling of income.
In Italy, Juventus have benefited hugely from constructing the 41,000 capacity Juventus Stadium, unlike many of their rivals who don't own their grounds.
Indeed, matchday revenue has trebled to €150 million as the Swiss Ramble detailed and not just through ticketing as other amenities also add to the income. They have left their rivals behind on that front as well as on the pitch.
It is the reason why Roma for example are constructing their own grounds and at one point, Milan had suggested moving out of the cavernous council-owned San Siro which they share with Inter Milan in order to move into their own ground. The plan for Milan to build a new 48,000 arena have since been scrapped, with Silvio Berlusconi saying he is "in love" with the San Siro. Given how far they have fallen, the club's owner may well come to regret that decision.
Atletico Madrid too are leaving the Vicente Calderon for the Estadio La Peineta for the 2017-18 season, with their capacity due to rise to 73,000 in the reconstructed venue. Barcelona will also expand the already gigantic Nou Camp to 105,000 by 2020.
West Ham are very much part of that trend of moving to a new home expanding their current residence but with the added bonus of minimal rent which should make them more of a player in the transfer market than they are now. And in addition to that, the BBC has reported that they stand to save money on related stadium costs like corner flags, security, changing room and restroom facilities, as well as floodlighting and undersoil heating.
So no wonder Sullivan can now openly say, "We put in a bid today for €30 million for a player and other bids will be going in."
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