West Ham United have been making the headlines this week with their pursuit of a new manager to replace David Moyes.
West Ham decided to part company with Moyes as they look to appoint a “high calibre manager with Premier League and European experience in the next seven days” – as revealed by co-owner David Sullivan on the club’s official website.
That rules out rumoured targets Unai Emery and Paulo Fonseca but very much rules in the likes of Manuel Pellegrini, Rafa Benitez and Claudio Ranieri who are the three frontrunners for the Hammers hotseat.
Fans have been welcoming links to both Benitez and Pellegrini and feel it is a step up for the Hammers.
But reports emerging Italian Claudio Ranieri could be set for a shock return to the Premier League with West Ham have not been as well received.
There has been big movement on the title winning former Leicester boss after it was announced he is leaving French side Nantes.
Ranieri, who has been a managerial nomad across Europe, has been cut from 20/1 to just 9/2 in the last 24 hours.
But if he is appointed as Moyes’ replacement, it does not bode well for Hammers fans and their footballing ideals according to a report from France.
“The Italian had a number of differences with (Nantes) President Kita, and his Nantes side, although arguably over-performing throughout this campaign, played a dire style of football,” GFFN reports.
Those West Ham fans in favour of Ranieri will of course point to the fact he led the Foxes to one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of sport when they won the title in 2015/16.
However his career before and after was largely about fire-fighting on low budgets, another ominous sign if he is inbound for the East Londoners.
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