With just four games left of the Premier League season, West Ham’s top flight status still isn’t 100% certain.
Despite the Hammers holding a six point advantage and a game in hand over third from bottom Southampton, there are still fears it could still all go wrong.
We should do it and, if we are in the Premier League next season, there is a huge decision to be made by the owners. Do they stick with David Moyes or do they make yet another change in the dugout?
Moyes is close to completing the jon he was given when he replaced Slaven Bilic in November. He was tasked with ensuring West Ham stays in the league and despite it not being mathematically confirmed, it’s expected he will have achieved that come the final day of the season.
But there have been question marks surrounding his tactics and his habit of leaving substitutions too late in the game to make a telling impact. He has overseen a mixed back of results, too. He’s taken four points off Chelsea since he arrived but he’s also overseen thrashings at the hands of Swansea, Brighton and Burnley.
There are pros and cons to keeping Moyes at the club beyond this season – it could be an opportunity for the Scot to build something positive in East London but does he have the ability to play the style of football West Ham fans crave?
Who else is available, though?
At the time of writing, a number of names have been linked with the West Ham hot seat. The likes of Brendan Rodgers, Eddie Howe, Rafa Benitez and Marco Silva are regularly reported to be in the boards’ crosshairs, but it’s difficult to know whether any of them would be interested in the job given the current state of the club. The bookies currently have Moyes down as the 1/4 favourite to be in charge of West Ham on the opening day of next season, while the second favourite is Pellegrini at 5/1. Silva (9/1) and even Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic (12/1) are also decent names being mentioned, but my Betfair free bet will probably be going on someone like Benitez, who is currently way out at 14/1 with the bookmakers. Punters can claim exciting offers here like bet £10 and get £30 or get up to £100 in Bet credits.
The Spaniard is doing a brilliant job with what can be widely regarded as a Championship squad up in Newcastle and he’s had to work on a tighter budget that would be available to him at West Ham.
His experience speaks for itself, too. He won trophies at every club he’s managed, apart from Real Madrid, including that historic 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul while he was at Liverpool.
With a bit of money made available to him in the transfer windows, I see no reason why he couldn’t be a huge success in East London.
West Ham are in desperate need of a manager who can play the right style of football and still grow it from battling relegation to competing for a domestic cups and for a top eight finish in the Premier League every season.
Of course, David Moyes could surprise us all by achieving that if he’s handed the job on a longer contract but, in my eyes, Benitez is the man David Gold and David Sullivan should target for the job this summer.
