West Ham line up Premier League title-winner (not Hart) – report
By Matt Farr
West Ham are lining up former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini as a replacement for under-fire boss Slaven Bilic, according to a report.
The Sun claim that the Hammers are considering making Mancini their new manager at the end of the season, should they dismiss Bilic.
Mancini is currently without a club following his departure from Inter Milan in August, but brings previous Premier League experience from his spell in charge of Manchester City.
The Italian led the club to the league title in 2011-12, as well as the FA Cup the previous season, and the Hammers will hope that he can translate his desire for success onto the Olympic Stadium stage.
With West Ham going through a purple patch in the Premier League this season, the pressure on Bilic to succeed is growing with each passing week.
The West Ham chief entered crisis talks with the board back in December, after emphatic back-to-back defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal; but, the board opted against making a change.
However, while they have since improved from 17th to 11th-place, there is still cause for concern among West Ham fans about the club’s recent performances.
They have lost three of their last five league games, including a shocking display in a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday.
The Mirror reported on Thursday that the club were set to review Bilic’s position at the end of the season, when he would have just a year left on his contract.
Mancini was present during West Ham’s defeat to Man City earlier in the week, and is believed to be keen on a return to England.
Football Insider verdict
Compared to last season, West Ham have taken several steps backwards. However, compared to several months’ ago, West Ham have somewhat made improvements. Unfortunately, the cut-throat reality that is football management means that Bilic is very much underpressure. The club’s move to the Olympic Stadium at the start of the season was only the start of the club’s ambitions to become a European force, and so far West Ham are nowhere near qualifying for European competition. Mancini is a man with vast European experience, while his previous success in the Premier League would also work in his favour. However, Mancini has been used to leading teams at the top of the table, and has little experience with teams battling either relegation or at the lower end of proceedings – which could count against him if West Ham were in deep trouble.
In other West Ham transfer news, Bilic has admitted he has a huge admiration for this international talent.
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