Our view: Reported West Ham target Cesare Prandelli could be their biggest risk

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Is Cesare Prandelli worth the gamble for West Ham United?

According to a report from TMW, West ham United are considering a move for former Italy boss Cesare Prandelli to take over from Manuel Pellegrini.

Pellegrini’s job isn’t safe yet despite the 1-0 win against Southampton on Saturday and Prandelli has been named as a target. The Italian has been out of a job since being sacked by Serie A side Genoa back in June this year and his record with the club was well worthy of the sack.

Genoa won just four out of their 24 games during Prandelli’s management which is awful considering his stature as a manager. However, his tactics have always been hit and miss and West Ham could either turn out to be incredible or fail to win a single game if he is appointed.

Prandelli famously said before the 2014 World Cup that he would like to win the competition with seven different formations in their seven possible games. The Italian certainly makes his side capable of adapting into multiple systems but it doesn’t always work as evident with Italy’s group-stage elimination from the competition.

Back in the Euros of 2012, the former Fiorentina boss led his country to the final of the competition, beating the likes of England and Germany on the way. Prandelli received a lot of plaudits for beating the Germans in the semi-finals and rightly so. But it was a complete disaster in the final as Spain thumped them 4-0.

West Ham’s biggest issue this season has been their consistency. In the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, they looked brilliant and deserved the win but in a few other games, they have failed to turn up and perform in the way that they are capable of.

Prandelli’s tactics could help Sebastien Haller find his feet on a consistent basis. The Frenchman works best when he is paired up with another striker next to him and the Italian’s potential appointment could push someone like Antonio or Ajeti beside the Frenchman to bring the best out of him.

The flip side of that is Prandelli could very well drop Haller for not being prolific enough and play someone like Felipe Anderson and Pablo Fornals as a false nine which could or could not work. West Ham’s board have a massive job at hand and Prandelli is a massive gamble if appointed but if luck is on his side, he might just pull it off.