West Ham United are narrowing their search for a new manager ahead of the new Premier League season, after it emerged that Ruben Amorim was unlikely to make the switch to the London Stadium.
Moyes on the move
Though nothing is yet confirmed, it appears to be an open secret that West Ham United will be parting ways with David Moyes at the end of the season.
A terrible result and performance against Crystal Palace in their most recent outing did little to lift the mood around the club, with many of the away fans leaving as early as the 20th minute with their side 3-0 down.
West Ham 23/24 vs West Ham 22/23
Premier League 22/23
Premier League 23/24
Points per game
1.05
1.41
Win %
29%
38%
Goals per game
1.11
1.59
Goals conceded per game
1.45
1.85
It has led to The Guardian reporting that the Hammers are "set to part company with Moyes when his contract expires at the end of the season", despite Moyes having previously claimed that there was a new contract on the table for him should he want it.
“There's a contract there for me,” Moyes said ahead of his side's Premier League clash with Brentford back in February. “I'm the one who's deciding at the moment that I want to wait, I want to wait until the end of the season"
Now though, the end seems nigh for the Scot, and West Ham even attempted an audacious effort to land Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP, only for talks to prove less constructive than they had hoped when they took place on Monday. It appears as though they are narrowing down their options though, and a surprise name could feature on them.
Hammers finalise shortlist
According to former CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, West Ham's final shortlist will consist of at least two managers.
First and foremost is ex-Real Madrid and more recently Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, who has been out of work since he left the Midlands club over a financial fair play dispute days before the new season began.
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However, reports suggest that he is not earning universal approval from the West Ham hierarchy, amid concerns that the Spaniard "is not the right fit and that a younger manager is needed".
That could leave the door open to current Lille boss Paulo Fonseca, who is the other name reportedly under consideration for the role. Fonseca has had a series of nearly moments with the Premier League, most notably when his move to take over at Tottenham was vetoed by Fabio Paratici in 2021, while he was also linked with the vacant Liverpool job in recent days.
The Lille boss had previously been mooted with a switch to West Ham United back in 2018, when he was manager of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. Now, Jacobs claims that he is "expected" to make the final shortlist for any new manager at West Ham, despite having failed to win over Sullivan during an interview back 2018. With his recent record at both Roma and Lille, he is perhaps now a safer bet than he was six years ago.
It remains to be seen whether other candidates emerge, but it does certainly seem like Moyes' days in the dugout are numbered.