West Ham United are gearing up for potential immediate changes ahead of this weekend’s crucial relegation clash with Swansea City.
The Hammers enter the match on the back of five consecutive Premier League defeats and a further loss at the weekend would see them sit just two points above the relegation zone.
During this period of woeful form, the future of manager Slaven Bilic has been consistently brought into question but the Hammers board issued a public statement last week backing their under-fire boss.
However, Bilic’s position at the London Stadium could become intangible if West Ham lose again this weekend and The Daily Telegraph states the Hammers are gearing up to prepare for a possible change in management.
The reports state West Ham are preparing contingency plans to replace Bilic if their sequence of consecutive defeats extends to six matches this weekend, which would put the Hammers in real danger of experiencing relegation to the Championship.
Rather than immediately building for the long-term though, it’s stated that Bilic’s replacement would be initially secured until the end of the current campaign.
West Ham are aware of the changes in fortune that Hull City and Leicester have achieved since replacing Claudio Ranieri and Mike Phelan, with both sides pushing themselves away from relegation danger.
With the exception of Sunderland, who are rooted to the bottom of the table, all of the Premier League’s current bottom six have changed management this season.