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David Moyes’ tenure at West Ham United is set to come to an end this summer. It has been a wild ride, with the Scot taking over for a second time in late 2019 to drag the Hammers to Premier League safety.
What followed was truly remarkable, with the former Everton and Manchester United boss guiding the east Londoners into Europe, making the Europa League semi-finals in 2021/22, before famously going all the way a year later in the Europa Conference League, in what is arguably Moyes’ finest hour of his career.
However, things have gone rather stale at the London Stadium; their latest Europa League exit, while representing progress, comes amid another lacklustre Premier League campaign as they struggled to maintain the levels reached in recent seasons.
Therefore, a change in the dugout could well be on the horizon as Moyes’ contract expires this summer, and Football FanCast has taken a look at some of the candidates to take over in 2024/25.
| Next West Ham manager odds (Sky Bet) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Manager |
Current club |
Odds |
| Julen Lopetegui |
n/a |
15/8 |
| Graham Potter |
n/a |
4/1 |
| Paulo Fonseca |
Lille |
6/1 |
| Ruben Amorim |
Sporting CP |
7/1 |
| Will Still |
n/a |
8/1 |
| Brendan Rodgers |
Celtic |
10/1 |
| Gary O'Neil |
Wolves |
10/1 |
| Michael Carrick |
Middlesbrough |
10/1 |
| Hansi Flick |
n/a |
12/1 |
| Thomas Tuchel |
Bayern Munich |
16/1 |
| Odds correct as of 2nd May 2024. |
||
The current bookies’ favourite is ex-Wolves, Sevilla and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui. The Spaniard was hamstrung financially during his brief yet successful time at Molineux as he steered the club to Premier League safety before making way for Gary O’Neil in the summer.
Lopetegui would represent a high-profile appointment without the need for a compensation package, and as a Europa League winner with Sevilla, he certainly has the pedigree required to succeed Moyes in the London Stadium hot seat.
Graham Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023. He was arguably handed a poisoned chalice at Stamford Bridge having earned his stripes at Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as at Ostersunds in Sweden.
He’s been mentioned as a potential Moyes successor but is a man in demand, having recently held talks with Dutch giants Ajax, which reportedly broke down over salary demands. Whether he’d see West Ham as a bigger draw remains to be seen.
Paulo Fonseca has often been linked with Premier League roles, with Spurs and Everton among those in the past to consider hiring the Portuguese manager, who is currently chasing a Champions League place at Lille.
A well-travelled coach with previous stints at FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma, his lack of Premier League experience may not be as big a problem compared to some of the alternatives here.
Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has already had well-publicised talks with West Ham - talks he has since admitted were a “mistake”.
It appears his apology was out of respect for his current club rather than an outright rejection of West Ham, though you would imagine it would be some U-turn to end up signing the dotted line at the London Stadium now. That said, given his domestic and European success in recent years, it does suggest the Hammers are looking for an exciting appointment.
Comfortably the youngest candidate on this list, Will Still has been a trailblazer as manager of Stade Reims in France’s Ligue 1, with his side holding their own in mid-table before he suddenly left his role by mutual consent this week.
Interestingly, Still is a West Ham fan, though whether the likes of David Sullivan will see his short managerial career to date as enough to take the team to the next level is another question.
An experienced boss at Premier League level, Brendan Rodgers was last in the English top flight with Leicester City, who went on to be relegated under Dean Smith.
Having managed in Europe with Celtic and Liverpool, there is no doubting the Northern Irishman’s credentials, but abruptly leaving the Bhoys for a second time may appear unlikely.
Gary O’Neil has impressed since taking over from Julen Lopetegui at Wolves, with the former West Ham midfielder arguably punching above his weight with the Old Gold by keeping them clear of relegation trouble throughout the current campaign.
Having impressed at Bournemouth too, the only question would be whether hiring O’Neil would be seen as a step forward.
Another former West Ham midfielder, Michael Carrick’s first steps into senior management with Middlesbrough have seen some promising signs, with Boro making the Championship play-offs in his first season at the helm. He also guided his team to the Carabao Cup semis this term.
Having also been in caretaker charge of Manchester United, he would appear to be unflustered by the prospect of returning to east London.
A Bundesliga and Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, there’s no doubt that Hansi Flick would be a huge coup for the Hammers.
His time as national coach of Germany may persuade the powers that be at the London Stadium that there are better, more reliable options available - but maybe Flick would see West Ham as the right team to rebuild his managerial career at club level.
Set to exit Bavaria this summer, Thomas Tuchel has been mentioned as a potential Moyes successor in recent weeks. Another manager who needs no introduction, the Champions League winner could argue he has unfinished business in the Premier League.
This one looks to be on the unlikelier end of the scale, but the Hammers could yet be rewarded for their ambition if they were to hire the former Chelsea boss.
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