Slaven Bilic’s position has come into question this season with West Ham’s form being seriously streaky and failing to live up to last season’s performances.
The Hammers currently sit in mid-table but had ambitions to again mount a challenge on the top six and ideally qualify for the Europa League for a third successive season.
West Ham will review Slaven Bilic’s position as manager at the end of the season like they do every season when they conduct their yearly reviews, but there’s growing speculation that they could cut ties with the Croat if they can bring in a high-profile replacement.
Rafa Benitez has been on the club’s radar for some time. David Sullivan is on record as saying that Benitez was in line to take the West Ham job before being offered the manager’s role at Real Madrid, a snub which led the Hammers bringing in Bilic.
The former Liverpool manager was sacked by Madrid and later joined Newcastle but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to the Championship. However, he’s overseen a great bounce-back season where Newcastle won the Championship and promotion back to the Premier League.
That being said, his relationship with the Newcastle hierarchy, namely owner Mike Ashley, is strained to say the least after being denied funds to make any January signings when Benitez thought they were necessary to see them over the line.
Benitez wants near enough total control and final say over who comes in and who goes out of St James’ Park personnel wise, along with a strong input into how the club is run behind the scenes – a power shift that Ashley isn’t overly keen on.
Twitter: Rafa Benitez’s future at Newcastle is delicate owing to strained relations with owner Mike Ashley, per @PhilippeAuclair in France Football. (@GFFN)
There’s still talk that Benitez may quit Newcastle this summer if Ashley doesn’t hand him the responsibility he demands, and West Ham, who may still sack Slaven Bilic, are keeping tabs on his situation.
Twitter: .@PhilippeAuclair Newcastle United are in turn following Slaven Bilic’s situation at West Ham United very closely,… https://t.co/oA3zVTgM9I (@GFFN)
On the other hand, Newcastle, who could feasibly lose Benitez, are said to be following Bilic’s situation at West Ham closely in case they need a new manager this summer.
Could we see the managers swap clubs this summer? It would be an unprecedented move, but not one that is out of the realms of possibility. Crunch talks between both managers and their employers will take place in a few weeks where decisions will be made.
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