Betting latest: Rodgers already a frontrunner for West Ham – could they really raid Celtic?

Follow us on Google Discover

West Ham United could soon be looking for a new manager.

After three defeats from three Premier League games so far this season, West Ham manager Slaven Bilic finds himself under huge pressure already.

Thrashings at Manchester United and Newcastle United came either side of a 3-2 defeat at Southampton, where a 10-man Hammers side rallied back from 2-0 down, only to concede a last minute penalty and lose.

Having been backed with new signings this past summer after a disappointing campaign last term, Bilic is under pressure to turn things around, with many believing he could be the first manager to leave his post this season.

Bookmakers have already started to price up odds for who could replace Bilic, with Paddy Power making Newcastle’s Rafael Benitez the 5/2 favourite right now, though Roberto Mancini (7/2) and Slavisa Jokanovic and Brendan Rodgers are at 7/1.

Rodgers being the fourth favourite for the West Ham job isn’t a surprise, given that he has rebuilt his career so well with Celtic, guiding the Bhoys to an unbeaten domestic campaign last season, winning the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.

Many expect Rodgers to make his way back to the Premier League at some point having repaired his reputation since leaving Liverpool in October 2015, but whether West Ham can prise him away from Celtic is another matter.

Rodgers grew up as a Celtic fan, is managing in the Champions League with the Bhoys and has a huge control over most matters at Celtic Park, giving him an almost ideal job for the foreseeable future, at least.

Conversely, West Ham’s activity in the transfer market is largely controlled by David Gold and David Sullivan, and the spending in the Premier League means that West Ham are some way off challenging for the top six right now, and simply battling for a top half finish may not be enough for Rodgers to up sticks.

Eventually, Rodgers may well want more of a challenge, but West Ham’s current state may not appeal to the Celtic boss, who should be quite content with his attempts to make Celtic a force in Europe once again.