West Ham next boss: Hammers icon on shortlist to replace Graham Potter as statement issued

Slaven Bilic is in the frame to make a sensational West Ham return, with pressure piling on Graham Potter. The current Hammers boss was only appointed in January, enduring a mixed first few months in charge.

But things have got off to an even worse start this season, winning just one of their opening five games in all competitions - including heavy defeats to Sunderland, Chelsea and Tottenham.

West Ham bosses released a damningstatement on Wednesday night, admitting they were far from satisfied with the current direction. They find themselves marooned in the Premier League relegation zone, conceding 11 times in just four games.

And plans are now reportedly being put in place, should Potter get the axe in the coming days. talkSPORTclaim that former manager and player Bilic is on a three-man shortlist to potentially replace Potter at the London Stadium.

Bilic, 57, spent just over a year in East London as a player, before becoming a fan favourite in the dugout. Hired in 2015, he guided the Hammers to seventh in his first season, before he was ultimately dismissed in November 2017.

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Since leaving, he has had several unsuccessful spells, both in England and abroad, most recently with Al Fateh in Saudi Arabia.

Along with Bilic; Nuno Espirito Santo and Sean Dyche are said to be under consideration, should West Ham’s dismal start continue.

Nuno has been out of work for a matter of days following his dramatic exit from Nottingham Forest. The ex-Wolves boss was sacked by Forest, despite guiding them into Europe, after falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Dyche meanwhile has been away from the touchline since leaving Everton, coincidentally on the same day Potter arrived at West Ham.

Potter’s appointment was seen as somewhat of a coup at the start of the year, with the 50-year-old taking time to pick his next job after leaving Chelsea.

He arrived following a disastrous spell for Julen Lopetegui, but has failed to truly arrest the slump. And after spending £125m in the summer, a brighter start was expected.

West Ham’s top brass made that clear in a strongly worded statement: "First, we accept that results and performances on the pitch over the past two seasons have not met the standards we set for ourselves.

"Nobody at the Club is satisfied with that and the Board of Directors have spent a great deal of time looking at the decisions that have been made across the football operation, in order to inform an improved strategy going forward.

"Our focus now is firmly on the future and building a team that can once again compete consistently in domestic competitions and in Europe. We have a strong platform from which to continue that quest, in that we are entering our 14th consecutive season in the Premier League – our longest unbroken top-flight run in the modern era."

West Ham face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, looking to record their first home victory of the season, before a trip to Everton the following week.

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