West Ham to follow Leeds replacement plan and appoint 'next Daniel Farke'

West Ham United already know the type of manager they want to bring in if Nuno Espirito Santo leaves the club when they are relegated.

The Hammers currently sit in 18th place in the Premier League with three games left to play, and their difficult fixture list has led to concerns they will go down.

As a result, there is a belief that the Hammers have already begun assessing their options, with potential candidates being assessed if worse comes to worst.

Former West Ham scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that West Ham could follow Leeds' success by appointing an experienced Championship manager.

The board are keen to avoid taking a gamble on West Ham's next managerial appointment as they cannot risk getting stuck in the second tier long-term.

West Ham set sights on Nuno Espirito Santo replacement

Brown told Football Insider on 4 May that West Ham are assessing replacements for Nuno amid fears he could walk away if they are relegated.

While the Hammers will be keen to keep the boss at the London Stadium, contingency plans are being made behind the scenes in case they fail to do so.

An experienced campaigner will likely be brought in if they do go down as they are reluctant to gamble after watching previously-relegated clubs' fates.

"If they drop into the Championship, West Ham may have to find a new manager," Brown told Football Insider.

"It'll probably be somebody who has managed in the Championship before, I expect, because they’ll be looking to bounce straight back up next season.

"It's not something they can afford to take a risk with, they can't just gamble on some unknown manager who has a good record in another country.

"They know they need somebody who's been there and done it before.

"Look what Leeds did with Daniel Farke, for example, he got them back into the Premier League and now they look like they're going to stay up.

"That's what West Ham want to do, they have to replicate that because otherwise they run the risk of getting stuck in the Championship like we've seen with other teams."

Could Nuno stay at West Ham even if they go down?

Nuno is expected to have Premier League suitors which could move to lure him away ahead of what is set to be a busy summer in the managerial market.

That has added to the suggestions he could leave West Ham if they are relegated this summer, despite being on a long-term contract at the London Stadium.

However, Football Insider revealed on 5 May that Nuno has the backing of West Ham's board and there is a hope he will remain in charge even if they are relegated.

The Portuguese manager has previous experience at Championship level, having led Wolves to promotion, and could be handed the same task in East London.

Should West Ham suffer relegation, he will be tasked with leading them to immediate promotion, and he is expected to be unfazed by the challenge.