Statistic suggests Manuel Pellgrini could be the man to turn it around at West Ham

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The former Manchester City boss has been heavily linked with the vacant managerial post at the London Stadium.

West Ham United fans are getting excited about the prospect of Manuel Pellegrini becoming the Hammers’ new manager.

The Chilean, who guided Manchester City to the Premier League title in 2013, is reportedly days away from succeeding David Moyes at the London Stadium after the Hammers admitted defeat in their chase of top target, Rafael Benitez.

West Ham had one of their most disappointing season of recent years last term and many fans believe that Pellegrini is the right man to change the club’s fortunes – and an interesting statistic certainly goes a long way in supporting that idea.

Pellegrini has an impressive history in Europe and has guided the four clubs he has managed to top seven finishes since arriving on the continent in 2004.

He guided Villarreal to a third-place La Liga finish in his first season at the club, before seeing them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League the following season. El Submarino Amarillo finished seventh that year.

Villarreal rose to fifth in 2006/07, before Pellegrini helped the club achieve its highest ever La Liga finish in 2008/09 when coming second behind champions, Real Madrid.

He then took over at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2009, finishing in second behind Barcelona, before he swapped Madrid for Malaga after just one season as Los Blancos boss.

Pellegrini transformed Malaga from a mid-table side into Champions League qualifiers, finishing fourth with a club-record breaking tally of 58 points in his first full season as manager; an achievement that caught the eye of Manchester City, who appointed him as boss in June 2013.

Pellegrini’s City stormed to Premier League and Carling Cup success in his first season in Manchester, but that was as good as it got for the Chilean who was sacked after City dropped to second and fourth in the campaigns that followed.

Whoever takes the reins at West Ham certainly has a job on their hands, but Pellegrini is a man certainly capable of turning things around.

Hammers fans will look at the job he did at transforming Malaga into a top-four side and hope that he can continue his excellent European track record in East London.