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West Ham will consider turning to Slaven Bilic if they sack Graham Potter, who is under growing pressure after a poor start to the season.
Although there is a belief that Potter’s immediate future does not hinge on the outcome of Saturday’s home game against Crystal Palace the wider picture is less than encouraging for the former Chelsea manager.
West Ham are 18th in the Premier League after losing four of their first five games and there is growing alarm at board level. David Sullivan, the largest shareholder, is not ready to make a change yet but contingency plans are being put in place. Bilic, who managed West Ham between 2015 and 2017, will have a chance of returning if Potter departs. The former Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo is also under consideration. Sean Dyche, the former Everton manager, has been linked.
It remains to be seen whether Nuno is open to taking on a new role so soon after being sacked by Forest. The former Wolves manager left the City Ground last week after a breakdown in his relationship with the owner, Evangelos Marinakis. Forest qualified for Europe under Nuno last season.
An issue for West Ham as they ponder how long to give Potter is whether there are enough suitable managers on the market. Sullivan has always preferred to hire unemployed coaches. One solution could be to turn to Bilic and ask the Croat to step in on a short-term deal.
Bilic’s connection to West Ham goes back to his days as a player. The former defender’s first season as the manager was the club’s last at Upton Park, and he led them to seventh, with Dimitri Payet excelling, and qualified for the Europa League playoffs.
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The job became more challenging after West Ham moved to the London Stadium. They struggled in their new home and Bilic’s second season turned into a fight against relegation. He held on to his job before being fired and replaced by David Moyes at the start of his third season. Bilic does not hold a grudge towards West Ham about being sacked and would be open to returning.
Bilic, whose most recent role was in Saudi Arabia, almost joined West Ham on an interim basis during the 2022-23 season. Moyes retained his job, though, and won the Conference League. Bilic guided Croatia to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 and secured promotion to the Premier League with West Brom in 2020.
after newsletter promotion
West Ham have struggled since parting company with Moyes and replacing the Scot with Julen Lopetegui last year. Potter came in for Lopetegui last January but has lost 13 of his 24 games. West Ham fear they are headed for a relegation battle and are facing anti-board protests from unhappy supporters.
Potter is entitled to argue that years of poor recruitment before his appointment have made his task more difficult. West Ham had to sell to buy this summer and lost Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham. However some figures around the club are questioning whether Potter and his recruitment chief, Kyle Macaulay, got their signings right. There is scrutiny on their push to sign the Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from Leicester.
West Ham have struggled to defend set pieces, with Hermansen failing to command his area. They will come under more pressure from dead balls when they face Palace, Everton and Arsenal before the international break.
