David Moyes successor masterplan would be bad news for Newcastle or Brighton

Follow us on Google Discover

West Ham United may face a managerial crossroads in the summer and that could be bad news for Newcastle United or Brighton.

West Ham are right in the thick of the relegation mix and face a season-long battle to stay up while Newcastle and Brighton are enjoying comfortable returns to the big time so far.

Slaven Bilic was sacked and replaced by David Moyes much to the anger and apathy of Hammers fans.

West Ham fans have given Moyes their backing for now, although the same cannot be said for the owners with fans turning on the board in recent weeks.

David Sullivan and David Gold have been criticised by fans and pundits alike for their decision to hire Moyes on a six-month deal.

The move smacks of short-termism and supporters wanted a more inspirational appointment to reward their loyal following after 52,000 fans signed up for season tickets for the second season in a row off the back of grand promises over the future of the club.

The future looks bleak for the East Londoners but what is the plan for the summer?

Well there will need to be one plan for staying in the Premier League and another for the Championship.

Should Moyes keep West Ham up he will be tipped to retain the job for another two years.

But West Ham could well go after Newcastle United’s Rafa Benitez again, particularly if the proposed Magpies takeover doesn’t go according to plan.

Benitez came within moments of becoming the new West Ham boss after Sam Allardyce but received an 11th hour call from Real Madrid which he simply could not turn down.

Reports earlier this year claim the Spaniard feels he owes Sullivan and Gold and would be keen to discuss the opportunity again.

If West Ham do drop into the second tier they will still be a big pull and could do a lot worse than try to lure former player Chris Hughton away from Brighton.

Hughton has done a superb job at the AMEX Stadium and the Seagulls look on course to stay up on their return to the top flight.

But Hughton knows the pitfalls of second season syndrome in the Premier League and may look to move on to a new project and back to his hometown should the chance arise.