da lvbet： With just one game of the campaign remaining and negotiations over a new contract for Sam Allardyce yet to get underway, it’s more than likely West Ham will have a new manager next season.
da fazobetai： Allardyce remains adamant he still has a chance of his extending his Upton Park stay, recently describing his tenure as ‘outstanding’ whilst declaring all his critics have ‘short memories’ – as Sky Sports reported yesterday afternoon.
But he and the Hammers have always been somewhat of an unholy alliance – a compromise on the club’s more traditional philosophies (both on and off the pitch) in order to assure stability in the Premier League.
And with contract negotiations left so late in the day, it’s almost implausible the Irons’ board haven’t already drafted up a list of replacements for the former Bolton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle boss.
So with that in mind, Football Fancast have listed the five men who could well step into Allardyce’s shoes in East London next season.
STEVE McCLAREN
Steve McClaren may have recently turned down a job at Newcastle but he will find the situation at West Ham a far more accommodating.
Of course, the former England boss will never escape the shadow of the infamous ‘Wally with the Brolly’ headline – or for that matter, the Three Lions’ failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championships under his leadership.
But at club level, there are few blips on a largely impressive CV. During his five years at Middlesbrough, the 54 year-old won the 2003 League Cup and also got the Riverside outfit to the 2006 UEFA Cup final – making him the first manager to win a major trophy and achieve European qualification throughout their entire history.
He also lifted an Eredivise title with FC Twente in 2010, picking up a bizarre Dutch accent in the process, and in a previous life served as Sir Alex Ferguson’s No.2 during arguably the most dominant period of Manchester United’s recent history, claiming three consecutive Premier League titles.
Paradoxically, however, McClaren’s potential availability this summer is largely due his recent shortcomings. He’s been privy to arguably the strongest team and the biggest transfer budget in the Championship at Derby County – whilst many likewise view him as the best manager in the divison – but has failed to attain promotion for two consecutive campaigns.
MICHAEL LAUDRUP
The dismal end to his Swansea City tenure can’t be ignored, but Michael Laudrup lead the Welsh outfit to the first major domestic cup in their history – the 2013 Capital One Cup – and had them playing arguably the most technically-demanding football in the Premier League during his eighteen-month spell at the Liberty Stadium.
Style of play has become a real issue for the West Ham fan base during Sam Allardyce’s attitional reign, but throughout his spells with Brondby, Getafe, Spartak Moscow and Mallorca, Laudrup has continually insisted upon free-flowing attacking football.
An incredible playing career with Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax and the Danish national team further underline the 50 year-old’s credentials – and there are few men throughout world football brave enough to cross the El Clasico divide, which surely says a lot about the former midfielder’s self-belief.
Laudrup’s always been accompanied by his debonair suave, epitomised by the moniker ‘The Prince of Denmark’, but he’s also a bit of a careerist, never spending more than two years at any of his last five clubs, which could put off the Hammers board.
They wouldn’t have to pay a compensation fee, however; Laudrup’s one-year contract with Qatari outfit Lekhwiya is set to expire this summer.
Slaven Bilic
A former player seemingly destined to don the Upton Park dugout at some point in his career, Slaven Bilic is one of the first names the tabloids drag up whenever the West Ham job becomes available.
The 46 year-old is currently in charge of Besiktas, for whom he boasts an impressive win rate of 54% since his appointment in June 2013, earlier this season masterminding the Turkish outfit’s way past Liverpool in the knock-out stages of the Europa League.
Admittedly, he lacks experience in Europe’s leading top flights, but Bilic’s reputation is built upon his successes with the Croatian national team; in 2008, he eliminated Steve McLaren’s England from the qualifying rounds of the European Championships and many of his players subsequently went on to have impressive careers in the Premier League, namely Eduado, Verdan Corluka and Luka Modric.
A particularly passionate manager, famed for his suit and beanie attire, Bilic’s outspoken personality and touchline antics have already gained some fans within the British media.
DAVID MOYES
David Moyes is currently enjoying the Spanish sun at Real Sociedad, but it seems more like a working holiday for the former Everton and Manchester United boss than a long-term employment opportunity.
Despite his horrific ten months in charge at Old Trafford, the Scot’s greatest strength is indisputably his inner understandings of Premier League football – not to mention his direct, hard-working and honest philosophy that’s proven to achieve results in the top half of the table.
And that ill-fated tenure as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor can’t overshadow the 52 year-old’s resounding success at Everton, transforming the Toffees from relegation battlers into top eight regulars during his decade at the Goodison helm, despite battling against inferior finance and resources in comparison to the club’s divisional rivals.
In terms of his ability to find fantastic value for money on the transfer market, his philosophy not too dissimilar to the brand of football the Hammers have enjoyed this season and perhaps most crucially, his ambition to rebuild his reputation in England with a European football-contending club, he’s exactly what West Ham need.
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, however, believes he should stick it out in Spain for at least another year.
RAFA BENITEZ
What a coup this would be. Rafa Benitez is not only proven in the Premier League but also in Europe – which is surely the next step for a Hammers outfit on the verge of moving to the Olympic Stadium – boasting a UEFA Cup with Valencia, a Champions League title with Liverpool and a Europa League title during his infamous ‘interim’ stint as Chelsea manager.
He’s not always lived up to expectations, however, lasting just ten months at Inter Milan despite inheriting a treble-winning side from Jose Mourinho, and looks set to leave Napoli this summer after their failure to qualify for next term’s Champions League.
But the 55 year-old has left five of his last six clubs with a win rate of 50% or higher, and although his decisions can leave laymen perplexed at times, he’s widely regarded as one of the best tacticians in the business.
His experience, reputation and resulting ability to attract proven players from all corners of the continent would be a huge asset to a club keen to progress to the next level. But whether Benitez would be interested in joining a side outside of the European competitions – and whether West Ham can meet his potential wage demands – remains to be seen.