Sam Allardyce is set to leave East London at the end of the season. Allardyce will reject any contract talks, already turning down a tentative 2-year offer from the club.
Allardyce has been in charge at Upton Park since 2011, gaining promotion in his first season through the Championship play-off final. For Big Sam, even throughout the promotion season of 2011/12, questions were raised of the style of football played by Allardyce’s teams.
Nothing has changed since his first season in charge. Constant promises of “attractive” football have led to disappointment around the Boleyn Ground. Hatred towards the manager would not be the ideal way of remembering West Ham’s last season at the Boleyn Ground.
Next season is the final one at Upton Park, and it has been clear for some time that a replacement will be sought after by the Hammers, although the pressure is on to secure a manager soon.
If West Ham are to secure a Europa League spot through the Fair Play League, a replacement by June would a fair goal so preparations for the Europa Qualifiers are taken seriously.
Initial attempts at Jurgen Klopp, David Moyes, and Eddie Howe have found nothing but frustration for the Hammers.
Jurgen Klopp is leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer, and was seen by many as a dream choice before moving to the Olympic Stadium. However, Klopp has rejected the approaches made by the Hammers thus far.
David Moyes seems like he will stay at Real Sociedad for at least another season. Moyes did a great job at Everton before the debacle at Manchester United, and is highly regarded by the West Ham board. Finally, Eddie Howe, manager of Bournemouth, will not be leaving after leading them to promotion to the Premier League by winning the Championship title.
A legitimate target for West Ham could be Rafa Benitez. Benitez has Premier League experience with stints at Liverpool and Chelsea, and has experience in European football with both clubs, winning the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and the Europa League Final as interim manager of Chelsea. Now with Napoli, Benitez seems to be the favourite to take over West Ham this summer.
Also being considered is former Hammer defender Slaven Bilic, who currently manages Beşiktaş in Turkey. He has led Beşiktaş to European football as well, an attractive quality for the Hammers, hoping to make the Olympic Stadium a home for European football starting in 2016.
While either of those two potential managers would be preferred, some Championship managers are being looked at as well. Besides Eddie Howe, Watford manager Slaviša Jokanović and Derby County manager Steve McClaren have been reached out to by West Ham.
Sam Allardyce may move towards West London and take over Championship struggler Fulham at Craven Cottage. Fulham sit in 17th in the Championship, a major fall after their relegation from the Premier League a year ago.
Allardyce has West Ham in 10th place in the league with two matches to play. West Ham will host Everton at Upton Park for a key battle in the Fair Play League this Saturday.
