Thursday 17 May 2018 09:54, UK
Who could be West Ham's next manager? Sky Bet takes a look at the favourites following David Moyes' departure from the London Stadium.
Moyes left the club on Wednesday despite steering them clear of relegation amid issues with the new stadium, fans, owners and players.
Here's a look at the most likely candidates to be tasked with filling the vacancy...
Early odds-on favourite for the vacancy is Shakhtar Donetsk's Paulo Fonseca, who has captured admirers with impressive displays both domestically and in Europe. The 45-year-old has also been linked with the vacant Everton job, although reports suggest that the Hammers have a head start by opening discussions prior to Moyes' departure. However, it remains to be seen how suited the Portuguese boss, who lacks any Premier League experience, would be to dealing with the pressures at the London Stadium.
A man that knows all about what it takes to compete in England's top tier is Manuel Pellegrini. The 64-year-old led Manchester City to their second Premier League title, as well as collecting two League Cup trophies along the way. The Chilean boss left the Etihad Stadium with his stock high and is currently managing in the Chinese Super League.
Rafael Benitez is a man in demand again thanks to his impressive work at Newcastle. The Spaniard steered the Magpies to the Sky Bet Championship title before retaining Premier League status in their first year back, ending with a respectable top half finish in 10th. However, while David Gold may be able to appeal to the 58-year-old with a bigger transfer budget, another volatile environment might cancel out the financial offering.
The recently departed PSG boss could look for a quick route back into football via the Hammers. Emery struggled to satisfy the high expectations of the Parisian club's owners and, after splashing cash on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the board terminated the 46-year-old's contract.
After narrowly avoiding relegation, West Ham fans will be hoping for more next season. That is exactly what Claudio Ranieri did at Leicester, taking over following Nigel Pearson's great escape to achieve the unthinkable. While such aspirations of Premier League title glory might even be beyond the Hammers' ambitious owners, they could be forgiven for daring to dream that the 66-year-old, who has led Nantes to back-to-back top-half Ligue 1 finishes, could provide them with the sort of optimism desperately lacking at the London Stadium.
Some might suggest that Eddie Howe's work at Bournemouth has been just as impressive. The 40-year-old has transformed a low-budget Bournemouth side into an established Premier League outfit. Howe achieved three promotions in five years, as well as winning Football League Manager of the Decade (2005-2015), to add to his already impressive list of achievements.
Next Everton manager favourite Marco Silva follows in the betting, with ex-Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal another outsider for the job at 22/1 alongside Slavisa Jokanovic, although his availability is likely to be subject to Fulham's Sky Bet Championship play-off fortunes. Alan Pardew, Brendan Rodgers, Claude Puel, David Wagner and Martin O'Neil are all priced at 25/1 to get the role.
Sky Bet odds correct as of 0900 on 17/05/18 and subject to change.
