Unai Emery, the 43-year-old Sevilla manager, has emerged as a front-runner for the West Ham United job. As reported a week ago, West Ham rejected Emery in hope of signing Rafa Benitez. However, with Benitez pinned for the Real Madrid job once he leaves Napoli, Emery, along with ex- Beşiktaş manager Slaven Bilic, are the frontrunners.
Bilic, the former West Ham defender, is the odds-on favourite to take control in East London after leaving Beşiktaş, but Emery is not too far behind with best odds at 8/1. Emery has made it clear that he will wait on his decision until after the Europa League final Thursday evening against Dnipro.
West Ham have officially qualified for the Europa League through the Fair Play League. Despite the unusual entrance, the Hammers are one of the 104 clubs in the first qualifying round which starts on 2 July. There will be no rush to secure the ideal next manager for West Ham. They could go into the qualifiers in the first week of July under caretaker stewardship. The academy manager, Terry Westley, is most likely to take up that role if required
Emery would be an excellent appointment for the club, although Italian media claim AC Milan have signed a pre-contract agreement with Emery. AC Milan, however, claimed a day prior to be after Carlo Ancelotti to return to Milan after his dismissal from Real Madrid. Emery won the Europa League in 2014 with Sevilla, and has returned to the final once again this season, all while steering Sevilla to fifth in La Liga. The balance between both leagues is what West Ham need to look for as the Hammers need to excel in the Premier League before their move to the Olympic Stadium before the 2016/2017 season.
Emery also led Valencia to the Europa League and the Champions League between 2008 and 2012. With the move to the Olympic Stadium on the cusp for West Ham, the job could be attractive to Emery. Co-owners of West Ham David Gold and David Sullivan have promised the next manager will be backed with significant transfer funds, as well as offered an even more lucrative contract than the £3m-a-year deal Sam Allardyce was on.
Emery’s career win percentage is almost 10 percent higher than Allardyce’s, who is just below 40 percent. Emery may find that his future remains at Sevilla, especially if Emery qualifies for the Champions League with a win against Dnipro in the Europa League final. However, according to HITC Sport, Emery’s agent reached out to West Ham as he wants a shot at Premier League football.
Emery’s ability to speak English is one concern with foreign managers to the West Ham board. Also, his lack of Premier League experience could be worrisome. A West Ham relegation before the move to the 54,000-seat Olympic Stadium would be the worst possible outcome for any new manager, and club. However, lack of experience is not unique to Emery, as other targets for West Ham have none as well. Bilic and Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa – who rejected the Sampdoria job in favour of the Premier League opportunity – have no experience managing in England either.
The odds are shortening on Bielsa taking over the Hammers after news of his interest in the job surfaced. His lack of the language is disconcerting, but the 59-year-old Argentinian manager, with experience in European football under his belt as well, is said to be learning English.
Odds are also shortening on Roberto Di Matteo, who recently resigned as Schalke boss. Di Matteo has experience in England with MK Dons, West Bromwich, and Chelsea. Di Matteo won the Champions League as caretaker manager of Chelsea in 2012, all of which make him highly appealing for West Ham.
If Emery is the one for West Ham, the board must convince Emery that East London football is a project worth investing in. Emery is one of the hottest young names in management, and would be an incredible appointment for West Ham. For Hammer fans, it’s advisable to root for Dnipro in the Europa League final on Thursday. The best shot at landing Emery at West Ham would be if Sevilla do not qualify for the Champions League.
