Manuel Pellegrini has been named the new manager of West Ham United, replacing the departing David Moyes.
New West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini expects the club to make “four or five” new signings this summer.
The former Manchester City boss was officially confirmed as the new Hammers manager on Tuesday morning, signing a three-year deal at the London Stadium to replace David Moyes.
Having won a Premier League title and two League Cups during his spell at the Etihad Stadium, the Chilean’s arrival in East London has been welcomed by supporters who are eager to see an improvement on last season’s dour campaign, where the club failed reach higher than 11th place.
But hopeful the club can add a host of new faces in the coming weeks, Pellegrini wants a quick turnaround and envisages the club challenging for a Europa League spot sooner rather than later.
“I think West Ham has a very good team,” he told the club’s official website.
“I know all of the players and I saw most of the games that they played last season, so I am sure that, with the players we have in this moment in the squad, and bringing maybe another four or five players in, we are going to have a strong team.”
One of Pellegrini’s first pieces of business could be deciding the fate of Joao Mario, who spent the second half of last season on loan at the club from Inter Milan.
A report from FCInterNews.it this week claimed Mario’s agent Kia Joorabchian has been in contact with both Manchester United and Valencia over his client’s services, but would resume talks with West Ham over a permanent deal once their new manager was installed.
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