West Ham have confirmed that manager Manuel Pellegrini has been sacked with immediate effect.
The Hammers lost 2-1 to a heavily rotated Leicester side on Saturday evening, leaving the club just one point and one place above the relegation zone, albeit with a game in hand.
Pellegrini has faced pressure at the London Stadium for some time now, having struggled to regularly get a tune out of his squad of players.
The Hammers will now begin their search for a new coach, meaning they will likely be manager-less for their New Years Day game against Bournemouth on Wednesday.
West Ham released a club statement on their official website, saying:
West Ham United can confirm that Manuel Pellegrini has left the Club with immediate effect.
Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, along with the Board and everyone at West Ham United, would like to place on record their thanks to Manuel for his service over the past 18 months.
Mr Sullivan said: “It is with great disappointment that we’ve had to make this decision. Manuel is a gentleman and it has been a real pleasure to work with someone of his calibre.
However, it has become clear that that a change is required to get the Club back on track in line with our ambitions this season. We felt it was necessary to act now in order to give the new manager as much time as possible to try and achieve that goal.
Reacting on social media, a number of West Ham fans were delighted to see the Chilean leave the club.
Twitter: @WestHam about time (@PP6UNITED)
Twitter: @WestHam 4 months too late. Losing at home to Leicester’s reserves put the nail in the coffin. (@360Sources)
Twitter: @WestHam https://t.co/FxJdcraBZd (@James_ftbl)
Twitter: @WestHam Only 5 games too late @davidgold @jsullivanwhu shameful dont tell us you feel our pain , classless all of you @karren_brady (@frankum_ian)
Twitter: @WestHam How do I like things twice (@Jose_ph_Webb)
Read West Ham Verdict
It definitely feels as though this had been a long time overdue. Pellegrini was an appointment that made plenty of sense, however it just hasn’t worked out this season.
The Hammers have slipped down the table and with the threat of relegation looming, the club had to make a decision, even if it came a little too late.
