Next West Ham Manager Odds: Rafa Benitez Favourite To Replace David Moyes
Rafa Benitez is the leading candidate to replace David Moyes if West Ham decide to sack their struggling manager.
Bookmakers make Benitez clear favourite after the former Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton boss reportedly expressed an interest in the role.
However, he could face competition from some of the most highly-rated head coaches in the business if the Hammers wield the axe on Moyes.
The club spent £163.8m on new players last summer, but they are currently languishing near the relegation zone.
They have lost 14 games so far this season, including a 4-0 drubbing at Brighton last time out, and they are currently among the favourites in the Premier League relegation odds.
The other four clubs in the bottom five have all sacked their managers this season, so Moyes is skating on thin ice.
Read on to learn more about the leading contenders to become the next permanent Hammers boss if Moyes is given his marching orders.
Rafa Benitez
Benitez could prove to be an attractive target for the West Ham board, as he boasts a wealth of experience in the Premier League.
He also won the Champions League at Liverpool and the Europa League with Chelsea, while he worked wonders on a shoestring budget at Newcastle.
The Spaniard was sacked just six months into his reign as Everton boss last season, and that ill-fated period undoubtedly represents a blot on his CV.
However, he has managed some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Valencia, Inter Milan and Napoli, and he is widely regarded as an elite coach.
He is renowned for defensive pragmatism, but he has also helped the likes of Fernando Torres unlock their potential, so he could be the man to lead the Hammers back up the table.
Benitez is reportedly holding out for a call from the West Ham board after turning down Leeds and is now the even-money favourite to land the job.
Nuno Espirito Santo
The former Wolves and Tottenham boss is the 6/1 second favourite with football betting sites to make a return to top flight management at the London Stadium.
He was priced at 12/1 in January, but he has shortened significantly over the past few weeks, and he could emerge as Benitez’s main rival.
His CV is by no means as impressive, and he struggled during his time with Spurs last season, but he still has a lot of admirers thanks to his sterling work at Molineux.
Wolves offered an exciting blend of English steel and Iberian flair during his time at the club, and he may be an interesting candidate to replace Moyes.
He will need to make a persuasive case to eclipse Benitez if the Hammers end up seeking a new manager though.
Mauricio Pochettino
Bringing Pochettino to the London Stadium would represent a major coup for West Ham’s board.
He was one of the Premier League’s most highly-rated managers during spells at Southampton and Tottenham, and he led Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final.
Pochettino won Ligue 1 with PSG last season, but the Qatari owners sacked him for failing to secure Champions League glory.
He has turned down several offers since then, including the chance to replace Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, as he is biding his time for a bigger job.
A return to Spurs has been touted, as they are currently floundering under Antonio Conte, but he may be tempted by the chance to manage West Ham.
The club spent heavily on new players last summer, and they are still in Europe this season, which could help to sway Poch.
He is priced at 10/1 with BetVictor to take over as West Ham manager, which looks like an interesting punt.
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard is now a 12/1 outsider with several new betting sites, including Parimatch, in the race to replace Moyes as West Ham manager.
The former Liverpool captain ended Celtic’s period of dominance in Scotland when he led Rangers to that famous title triumph in 2021.
However, he failed to replicate that magic when he replaced Dean Smith as Aston Villa manager in 2021.
Gerrard was sacked after just 11 months in charge in October, having led the team to just two wins in 12 games since the start of the season.
He was criticised for stripping Tyrone Mings of the captaincy and placing his faith in an out-of-sorts Philippe Coutinho, and that has certainly dented his reputation.
However, Gerrard may still prove an attractive target, as he knows the league well and he would command the respect of West Ham’s players.
Ange Postecoglou
Postecoglou’s reputation has soared after he restored Celtic to the summit of Scottish football over the past 18 months.
The Hoops had just finished 25 points behind Rangers when he took the reins in the summer of 2021, ending a nine-year period of dominance for the club.
However, he made sweeping changes to the squad when he took the reins, and signings such as Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate transformed their fortunes.
Celtic finished four points clear of Rangers to win the title last season, and they just secured a second consecutive League Cup triumph by beating their Old Firm rivals in the final.
He is now linked with a move south of the border but Postecoglou is an outsider in the ‘next permanent West Ham manager’ betting at 16/1 with Parimatch.
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The Rest
Three men - West Brom manager Carlos Corberán, former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa and former West Ham captain Mark Noble - are all outside candidates on betting apps.
It is hard to see the board placing their faith in Noble, a club legend who nevertheless has no managerial experience.
Bielsa is also an unlikely candidate after a bizarre story emerged about him requesting to manage Everton’s under-21 rather than the first team when approached by the Toffees last month.
Corberán is a more realistic option, as he has excelled with Huddersfield and West Brom in the Championship, but whether he can replicate that in the top flight is another matter entirely.
Other outside bets include Michael Carrick (12/1), Chris Wilder (25/1), former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce (25/1), Burnley’s Vincent Kompany (33/1) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (33/1).
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