Daily WHUFC News - 16th May 2018

Chicharito and Lanzini take step closer to World Cup
WHUFC.com

Chicharito and Manuel Lanzini have been named in their respective nations'
provisional 2018 FIFA World Cup squads. Mexico's all-time leading goalscorer
Chicharito is in his country's 28-man selection, which will be whittled down
to the final 23 following warm-up matches with Wales and Scotland in Los
Angeles and Mexico City respectively. With 100 caps and 49 goals for his
country, the 29-year-old is almost certain to be named in the final 23,
barring injury. Mexico face Denmark in Copenhagen in their final warm-up
fixture before tackling Germany, South Korea and Sweden in Russia.

Lanzini has far less international experience, with three caps and one goal
for Argentina to his name. The 25-year-old, who scored twice in West Ham
United's 3-1 Premier League win over Everton at London Stadium on Sunday,
has been named in Cesar Sampaoli's star-studded 35-man provisional group.
Lanzini, who scored on his last appearance for Argentina in a friendly win
over Italy in March, will hope to impress in the South Americans' one and
only warm-up fixture against Haiti in Buenos Aires on Tuesday 29 May. The
two-time winners and 2014 runners-up face Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria in
the World Cup group-stage.

Edimilson Fernandes is still awaiting news of Switzerland's squad
announcement, while on-loan midfielder Joao Mario will learn if has made
European champions Portugal's squad on Thursday.

Away from the World Cup, Declan Rice is in the Republic of Ireland squad for
friendly internationals with France in Paris and the United States in
Dublin.

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Mario hails 'amazing day and amazing experience'
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's final day victory over Everton capped an "amazing" six
months in London for Joao Mario, who has described his time with the Hammers
as "amazing experience". Two finishes from Manuel Lanzini and a Marko
Arnautovic strike secured the points for the Irons in Sunday's win against
the Toffees, earning West Ham seven points in their final three matches of
the campaign. Mario, who scored twice in 12 Premier League showing this
season for the Hammers, was delighted with the manner in which he and his
teammates secured a win in their season finale. "It was an amazing day and
an amazing game," Mario told West Ham TV. "The team played really well for
our supporters. Everyone is happy, and so are we. "It's definitely better
to end climbing up the table, so we're happy. Congratulations to everyone.
We've worked hard this season so everyone is happy."
The Portuguese midfielder had kind words for Sunday's goalscorers, Lanzini
and Arnautovic, hailing the quality of the two attackers. Mario also spoke
highly of the incredible Hammers support, who cheered the Irons to victory
before participating in the lap of honour after the contest. "They are two
really good, amazing players," Mario said of Lanzini and Arnautovic. "They
help us a lot and get a lot of goals, so for us it's perfect. "The West Ham
fans are incredible. Since I've arrived I have seen that they are fantastic.
They support the team so well and for us, as players, it's the best thing."
Having signed on loan from Internazionale in January, Mario has thoroughly
enjoyed his time in London with West Ham and is looking forward to what the
future holds. He added: "For me it's been an amazing experience. I want to
say thank you to West Ham for everything they've done, my teammates, and my
coaches.
"I'm really happy with the last six months and we will see what happens."

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Declan Rice 'proudly' reflects on first full season
WHUFC.com

There are not many West Ham United players that can look back on the 2017/18
campaign with as much fondness as Declan Rice. The defender, playing in his
first full season for the Irons after making his first team debut on the
final day of last season, made 31 senior appearances this campaign,
including 26 in the Premier League. The 19-year-old played in 18 of West
Ham's 19 Premier League contests in the second half of the season, something
Rice admits he is still pinching himself about. "I can't believe it," Rice
said. "I've been around some great players. We've had a change of manager
and luckily enough he's given me the chance to express myself and improve,
and I've thrived on that and now I can't wait for next season to start.
"When I was going into the last two minutes of the game (vs Everton) and we
were enjoying a bit of the ball, I was thinking 'I don't want this to end'.
It's been a great season for me personally. It's one I can look back on very
proudly."
Seven points earned in the final three games of the season, including a 3-1
win over Everton on Sunday, was a strong end to the campaign for the
Hammers, and Rice is thrilled with how he and his teammates closed the year.
The Young Hammer of the Year is now keen to continue his own personal good
form next season, and push West Ham higher up the league after this
campaign's 13th placed finish. "It's been a season full of ups and downs,"
he continued. "We've ended the last week strongly with the win at
Leicester, getting a good result against Manchester United, and then winning
against Everton was the icing on the cake. "It's not a bad finish, but if
you look at the points we've dropped late in games we could have been much
higher. We will take 13th. It's been disappointing but there's also been
some highs, so now we just look forward to next season."
Having graduated from the West Ham Academy, after joining the Club as a
14-year-old, Rice has been fully embraced by the fantastic Hammers
supporters, with the Republic of Ireland international thanking the fans.
The centre-back is now eager to kick on in the new season and continue to
develop with the Irons, committing himself to the side. Rice added: "The
fans have been excellent. At the start of this season they didn't really
know who I was but now they are singing my name and asking for stuff. It's
special. "I want to stay at West Ham. I want to keep playing for this club
and hopefully next season I can keep playing and make more appearances."

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MARK NOBLE – CLUB LEGEND?
AUTHOR: RICHARD DIXON. PUBLISHED: 14 MAY 2018 AT 9:53PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

There is a lot we don't agree on as West Ham fans at the moment, but one
thing we would all agree is that this has been a terrible season, both on
and off the pitch. When times are bad we football fans tend to look back and
remember happier times. At West Ham that will bring up a number of familiar
names, Moore, Hurst, Di Canio, Peters, Bonds and Brooking. So whilst there
may be some debate, these players are generally accepted as legends at our
club.

Now I'm willing to bet when you read that you were mentally adding more to
the list, Devonsonshire, Dicks, Cottee, McAvennie… I could go on and on. The
point being, that with certain notable exceptions club legends are
subjective and based on your own personal experience. It could be something
from your first West Ham game or maybe Modibo Maïga gave you his shirt after
a game where he scored (really really unlikely) or some other random act
that just chimed with you in some way. We all have our favourites, but few
make it to true legendary status.

It seems like a long time since we have had a widely accepted club legend, I
suppose Dimitri Payet was on course to achieve this accolade, mostly because
he was just so damned good. However, we all know what happened there, so
lets not dwell on our French ex-girlfriend, the man we just love to hate.
Payet is a lesson to those who throw the 'legend' title around lightly (or
worse get a tattoo!). What about our 2107/18 squad? The current fan
favourite is clearly Arnautovic. He has a long way to go, as stated, one
season does not a legend make, and the dour amongst us suspect that he won't
be here long enough to reach legendary status. A couple of other names pop
into your head as future legends, Collins, Rice and Lanzini are contenders,
but really there is only one name that really fits, and that is of course
Mark Noble.

Our current club captain is not going to be remembered as a skipper who
shepherded us to glory, it seems unlikely that he will ever lift a cup of
any note. Also there is much debate about his abilities on the pitch. If you
had no idea about him and tried to learn from Twitter I suspect you would
find out that his is brilliant, but his legs have gone and he is an awful
player and probably 50 other contradictory opinions. There is certainly no
consensus on his ability, but surely no one can argue about the man's
commitment to club? He now has over 400 appearances for the club, scored 50+
goals and been Hammer of the Year twice. What ever you think of his skills
this man is a West Ham player through and through. He made his senior debut
at 17 years old, back in August 2004, but after this his career at West Ham
faltered and he spent most of 2006 out on loan, first to Hull and then
Ipswich. It was under Alan Curbishley in the 2007/08 season that he really
established himself as a first team regular and he hasn't looked back since.

Coming right up to date his passion for the club, and temper, has been on
display this season. At the now infamous Burnley game Noble split opinion
with his "handling" of a pitch invader. We spoke to Mark briefly after the
game and when asked if he thought the club would fine him his response was
bullish, "they better fucking not!". I think his actions that day and his
subsequent response show that he feels the frustrations of the fans, others
may say they show he is a "thug". In the Manchester United "bore-draw"
Noble's tussle with Pogba again showed that he can let his feelings get the
better of him. I've seen comments that state this is why we love him, and
others saying that as Captain he should be above that type of behaviour.
However when I think of this season I prefer to think of his stunning right
footed volley against Leicester which put the game out of their reach and
ensured the Hammers Premier League survival. When that ball hit the back of
the net there was a look on Noble's face that told everyone what it meant to
him, and where did he run to celebrate? To the fans of course.

There has been the occasional rumour about other clubs wanting him, but can
anyone imagine him in anything except a West Ham shirt? He may not be our
greatest talent, but who amongst can deny that we would hate to see him pull
on another shirt? My suspicion is that as much as much as we wouldn't want
to see this, the person who would be the most pained is Mark Noble himself.
Mark Noble is a local boy (born in Canning Town) who has been granted the
freedom of the Borough of Newham and his heart is with us.

At 31 he is still going strong, the 'legs gone' comment is often made about
Mark, but he is still capable of galvanising the team, putting in a shift
and giving a great performance. It is clear that as the seasons progress he
will become a fringe player on the pitch, but off the pitch his influence
will continue. I am prepared to put it in writing I do not believe that he
will leave us for a lesser team to see out his career or move to the
USA/China for the money. It is my belief that he will stay at his beloved
West Ham and take a coaching role.

So considering it all, at this time I don't think Mark Noble is a legend,
but I have no doubt whatsoever that he will become one. Not because he has
won anything, or scored important or impressive goals, but because he is one
of us. Mark Noble is a destined to be a West Ham legend because he loves the
club as much as we do, and for that I salute him. Mark Noble is "Mr West
Ham".

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Hart axed from World Cup squad
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 15th May 2018
By: Staff Writer

Joe Hart, who spent the duration of the 2017/18 season on loan at West Ham,
will not be part of England's squad in Russia this summer. The 31-year-old
goalkeeper, who ended the season on the bench at West Ham behind first
choice stopper Adrian has been told by England boss Gareth Southgate that he
will not be included in his 23-man, World Cup squad for Russia. Hart, who
has endured a second-successive difficult season following a year on loan in
Italy with Torino was handsomely paid by the Hammers but failed to offer
value for money, as a series of high-profile mistakes saw him dropped for
the Spaniard. And the consequence of two poor seasons is that Hart - who at
one stage was expected to be the nation's first choice goalkeeper for many
years to come - has slipped behind the likes of Nick Pope, Jack Butland and
Jordan Pickford (even though the latter had a particularly poor afternoon
against the Hammers on Sunday).
Hart represented West Ham on 24 occasions during his season-long stay in
east London, keeping just three clean sheets in the process. He has already
returned to his parent club, Manchester City, following the culmination of
his loan.

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WE NEED TO SORT OUT OUR DEFENCE!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 15 MAY 2018 AT 8:39PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Nick Moore

(Written before the Man Utd game)

Although social media around West Ham has been viciously negative throughout
the season it does seem that most supporters always thought we would stay
up.
The line generally was that we should be much higher, that we have a good
squad and we are not delivering. I don't agree with this. This squad without
significant work will get us relegated. In every year, bar one, since the
premier league reduced to 20 clubs the team conceding most goals has been
relegated. We have conceded 67 goals in 36 games along with Stoke who have
played a game more. The truth is we can't defend. We have been leaking goals
since the back end of the final season at the Boleyn. Since then the
defenders we have brought in to change this have been

2016 -17 Masuaku, Arbeloa and Fonte.
2017 -18 Zabeleta and Evra.

Arbeloa and Fonte have come and gone and James Tomkins was sold. This is not
serious recruitment, given our growing defensive problems. Masuaku is
talented but his defending – being kind – is not his strong suit. The other
two are aging as is the whole squad. The squad lacks pace, mobility and
stamina.

Declan Rice – a great prospect – has emerged. Unusually for us he has come
through the youth system. But going into next season Ogbonna, Reid and
Chicharito will all be thirty. Noble will be thirty one. Zabeleta is 33.
Collins – should he stay- will be thirty five in August. Evra – brought in
to give us better defensive capabilities against City – will be 37.

However attack minded you are defending is half the game. Manchester City
are an attacking team full of creative players. They pressed us and squeezed
the space better than we did. None of these players will get any better.
Reid and Collins – both great servants – can't stay fit.

In midfield Mark Noble has been admirable and no one deserved to score the
goal that kept us up more. He said after the game he doesn't want another
season like this one. It will be exactly the same if the defensive side of
the game is not addressed both in defence and in midfield. The midfield
don't tracks runners. Defensively Obiang and Kouyate have been dreadful this
year. Where is the Kouyate who joined the club with the great motor, getting
up and down? Obiang defensively has consistently failed to win the ball
where he did before.

There is a goal we concede against teams with pace where you look up the
pitch and can see them jogging back. They'll be here in a minute…. Any
moment now….

Our goalkeeping troubles are well known. Hart came in on loan, proving that
none of our scouts watched the Euros. Randolph departed. Adrian has been
relegated to number two for much of the season. So we may well need two new
goalkeepers. Please do not sign Jack Buckland. We may have all been
distracted by Hart's present for Crouch but in the same game Buckland was
unconvincing. He flapped on crosses and has been throwing them in this year.

The defensive side of the game needs to be the focus for our recruitment. It
will be hard to get signings to fit all our short comings. Without changes,
some pace defensively, some younger players we will struggle. With better
defending we will be able to play further up the pitch which will help our
better attacking players.

It worries me that we are linked with older defenders and midfielders from
the relegated clubs. Maybe the odd one will strengthen us, but in general
the players linked looked like the same as what we have. The squad that gets
old together will get relegated together (as Stoke and WBA have already
shown).

One last point it's not about the stadium. We have won three games away all
season compared to six at home. Neither is good but it's so much easier to
win football matches if you don't concede nearly two goals a game.

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THE LOW DOWN ON PAULO FONSECA FROM A NON WEST HAM FAN
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 15 MAY 2018 AT 9:11PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Matt Brown @footballtyper

So, I was trawling through Twitter last night and came across an exclusive,
I think by Mail Online, which suggested that Paulo Fonseca had met with West
Ham regarding the manager's job at the club. After speaking briefly to Ex,
who everyone reading this will know is the most credible source when it
comes to West Ham United, it seems that this was the case and that Paulo had
impressed David Sullivan during their meeting.

With this, I felt like I would do another guest article for The West Ham Way
on a man I know a bit about and why I personally feel appointing him as the
next West Ham manager could be a very shrewd move by the club. While it's
understandable that some fans would be sceptical at such an appointment,
especially as many are wanting a proven name, there are a few reasons as to
why Fonseca makes sense.

I first became aware of Paulo through my own club, Sheffield Wednesday, in
2015. That summer our new owner Dejphon Chansiri decided that he wanted to
appoint a new manager at the club, and our main target was indeed Paulo
Fonseca, who had left his post in charge of Pacos Ferreira in Portugal. He
turned the chance to manage us down and instead took control at Braga and I
followed his progress from there.

In his sole season in charge at Braga, Fonseca managed to guide them to 30
victories from 57 games, which included 14 draws and 13 defeats. In
Portugal, the top three sides are Benfica, Sporting and Porto and aged 42
Fonseca did well steering Braga to a 4th place finish. He also managed to
guide them to Taca de Portugal success too, leaving the club with a win % of
50.88, averaging 1.82 points per match.

Looking a bit deeper into Paulo's history as a manager before he made the
move to Shakhtar, the only spell he will probably look back on with a bit of
disappointment is his second time in charge of Pacos de Ferreira where his
win ratio was 35.90%. He was extremely impressive in his other roles: Aves
(42.11%), Pacos de Ferreira (53.66%) and Porto (56.76%). Now, it would have
been quite easy for him to stay in Portugal, probably take up a role at one
of the top 3 sides, but instead he had bigger ambitions.

I think it's common knowledge that Portuguese managers aim to ply their
trade in one of Europe's top leagues eventually, with the Premier League the
target for most. Some may be quick to suggest that the job at Shakhtar is
easy or whatever as they are seen as comfortably the best side in the
division, but you have to remember that with that comes a lot of pressure
too.

Paulo didn't just go to Shakhtar and do what was expected of him, he
absolutely ripped it up there. He's managed them for a total of 93 games,
winning 73, drawing 8 and losing 12. His side have won league titles, cups
and this season narrowly missed out on making the Champions League quarter
finals, losing on away goals to Roma. Shakhtar under Fonseca have been
extremely impressive. They scored 205 goals in 93 games, conceding just 81.
They amassed a points haul of 227 and a points per match ratio of 2.44.

So, with his contract expiring next month, what can one of the game's most
promising managers bring to West Ham United? Well, first of all, he has the
personality and charisma that I feel will help once again reconnect the fans
with the club after what's been a pretty turbulent period. You only have to
watch Paulo dressed as Zorro after beating Manchester City in the Champions
League to see why fans will take to him immediately. Don't let that fool you
though, as he's a very professional manager too. He's not scared of saying
his piece either, especially when he feels the team hasn't performed.

Chopping and changing managers is something that every club should be aiming
not to do, and with Paulo being 45, he could well be at the help for a few
years which can only be beneficial for West Ham. It's highly likely that he
would be looking to get the club into a position where they can qualify for
Europe, and with his tactical nous, and backing from the board, there's no
reason why this shouldn't be possible.

It has already been suggested to me by some West Ham fans on social media
that the board won't spend money and that they will expect someone like
Fonseca to come in and work with what they've got. If Jorge Mendes is indeed
representing Fonseca, this could potentially open up a few more doors for
West Ham when it comes to transfers, which I'm sure the fans would be very
pleased about.

Mendes has his finger in many pies so to speak, with the ability to do
business with clubs in Portugal, while he also has ties to the likes of AC
Milan and Monaco. His work at Wolves is evident and while he wouldn't have
the same role at West Ham, Fonseca's connection to him would certainly be
advantageous and could help the board to be more successful in their
transfer dealings, both in and out.

If Paulo is appointed as manager, West Ham fans can expect nice, free
flowing, attacking and expansive football. They can expect a manager that
will do everything in his power to make a success of things with a Premier
League job his big chance to impress. He'll also be the kind of manager that
fans want managing their club personality wise.

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David Gold 'hopes' David Moyes remains manager of West Ham
By Rory O'Callaghan
Last Updated: 15/05/18 9:08pm
SSN

West Ham co-owner David Gold says he "would like to think" David Moyes will
be the club's manager next season. Moyes guided the Hammers to Premier
League safety after replacing Slaven Bilic midway through the season.
However, Sky sources understand the Scot is unlikely to remain at the London
Stadium after holding talks about his future with the club. Gold insists
nothing has been decided and hopes Moyes will remain with the club for a
second campaign. "I've enjoyed David Moyes, I've enjoyed his company, I've
enjoyed working with him, he's a proper professional - his record speaks for
himself," said Gold. "As we speak David Moyes is on the list of managers and
we'll be selecting one in due course. I'd like to think it was David Moyes,
I really hope so."
Gold believes West Ham's slow start to the season can be partly blamed on
injuries and insists the club would have finished further up the table with
a fully-fit squad. "We were disappointed at our performance right the way
through the year. We changed our manager which is always a difficult time
for us," Gold added.
"When I look back, I'm looking to see why did it happen? Was it because of
the manager situation, was it because the players weren't good enough? "In
actual fact, what I have discovered, if you look at the injury list right
the way through the season, there was a time just before Christmas we had 12
senior players injured, unavailable for selection. "No team can suffer that
kind of situation."

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Liverpool transfer news: Jurgen Klopp to force West Ham ace Manuel Lanzini
into decision
LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp could give West Ham star Manuel Lanzini a big
decision to make, according to reports.
By JACK OTWAY
PUBLISHED: 07:56, Tue, May 15, 2018 | UPDATED: 08:54, Tue, May 15, 2018
Express.co.uk

Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for West Ham star Lanzini ahead
of the summer transfer window. The Argentina international blossomed at the
weekend as the Hammers signed off a turbulent Premier League campaign with a
3-1 victory over Everton on Sunday. Liverpool are primed to pursue a
playmaker having lost Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona back in January.
Lanzini would fit the bill having established himself as a Premier League
star during his three seasons in English football. And the Mirror say Klopp
could give him a big decision to make.
West Ham are likely to overhaul their squad this summer after a turbulent
campaign under both Slaven Bilic and David Moyes. Fresh reports have claimed
another managerial tinkering is in the offing with Paulo Fonseca
interviewed. Uncertainty at the London Stadium could play into Liverpool's
hands when it comes to Lanzini, the Mirror add. The forward has long been
linked with a move to Anfield, with interest first surfacing back in 2015.
Meanwhile, the Liverpool target has praised West Ham supporters for their
backing this season. "I always say that the West Ham fans are amazing,"
Lanzini told WHUTV. "All season they have followed us at every Stadium and
for this has been really good for us. I want to say thank you to them. "I am
really happy because we've finished like this. We deserve this. "It was a
long season – sometimes good and sometimes not good – but we finished good.
"This is good for us and good for the people, for all of us."

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Unai Emery set to hold West Ham talks after Paulo Fonseca discusses
replacing David Moyes as boss
Moyes is set to leave the Hammers after guiding the club to safety
By Rob Guest
09:19, 15 MAY 2018

West Ham are set to hold talks with Unai Emery before the weekend about
potentially becoming their new manager, according to reports. With the
Premier League season concluding on Sunday, the Hammers are now stepping up
their search to find a replacement for David Moyes. Having signed a contract
until the end of the season when he was appointed back in November, the
Scotsman is expected to depart the London Stadium after guiding the club to
safety. Shakhtar Dontesk boss Paulo Fonseca, who has been linked with the
Everton job, held talks with co-owner David Sullivan at his home on Monday
after jetting into Luton Airport. Joined by super agent Jorge Mendes for the
75-minute meeting, Mirror Football understands that the Portuguese boss then
viewed a luxury property in the surrounding area following positive talks.
After speaking with Fonseca about the job, Emery is set to have discussions
regarding the position over the coming days. The Spaniard is rated very
highly in the game and has enjoyed success with Sevilla and Paris
Saint-Germain in recent years. The 46-year-old is currently in charge of the
Ligue 1 club, although he will depart at the end of the season with Thomas
Tuchel confirmed as his replacement. However, the only concern with Emery is
his lack of English. Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is the
current favourite for the job at 4/5 with BetVictor, with Fonseca priced at
2/1. Emery is 8/1 to be in charge in east London come August.

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West Ham next manager: Jorge Mendes flies in for talks with Paulo Fonseca in
frame for job
WEST HAM have held positive talks with Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca
as they look to replace David Moyes.
By JACK WILSON
PUBLISHED: 10:11, Tue, May 15, 2018 | UPDATED: 10:27, Tue, May 15, 2018

The Portuguese, 45, flew into Luton yesterday with super agent Jorge Mendes
- one of the most powerful men in world football. They were driven to the
Essex mansion of Hammers chairman David Sullivan where the possibility of
taking charge of West Ham was discussed. Fonseca is one of a number of names
on the club's wish-list with Unai Emery, Sean Dyche and Rafa Benitez are
also in the frame. And it appears discussions with Fonseca went well,
according to club insider @ExWHUemployee. The respected in-the-know Twitter
user wrote last night: "Apparently it [the meeting with Fonseca] went well
but they have other managers lined up to be met with this week too so they
will judge the success on those."
Fonseca enjoyed a modest playing career where he turned out for the likes of
Maritimo, Vitoria Guimaraes and Estrela Amadora in Portugal. He retired
early, hanging up his boots at the age of 32, before moving into management.
Fonseca made his name at Pacos Ferreira and got the chance to manage
Portuguese giants Porto in 2013 - only for his reign to last less than
season as he was sacked after a poor run of results. Fonseca returned to
Pacos Ferreira, moved to Braga and then was plucked up by Shakhtar in 2016.
He won the league and cup double in his first season in Ukraine and was
handed the country's 'best coach' award.
Fonseca followed that up by winning the Ukrainian Premier League this season
and reaching the last-16 of the Champions League by beating Manchester City
2-1 in the group stages. He followed that by wearing a Zorro mask at his
press conference - fulfilling a promise he made at the beginning of the
competition if his side were to reach the knockouts.
David Moyes appeared to wave goodbye to Hammers fans on Sunday and has been
asked to put his future on hold because the club want to speak to other
candidates. Having appointed Moyes only until the end of the season, the
West Ham board have made it clear that they want to see what other names
might be available before a meeting between him and West Ham co-owner
Sullivan next week. But this could backfire, as early indications are that
Moyes is now prepared to wait to see what other opportunities become
available as opposed to remaining at a club where he is not truly
appreciated. One club source has put the chances of Moyes extending his stay
at just one in four. Moyes met the demands made of him by the owners when he
was appointed as successor to Slaven Bilic in November with the team
lurching towards a disastrous relegation just 15 months after moving to the
London Stadium. Not only did he steer West Ham to safety, but the final-day
win over Everton swelled the coffers by a further £4 million as the club
leapfrogged Watford and Brighton to finish 13th.
Dyche is top of the Hammers' wish list but there is an acceptance that it
will be hard to trade the stability of the project he has built at Burnley
for a move to a club still beset with so many off-field issues regarding the
fans and stadium ownership. Spaniard Benitez, however, is thickskinned
enough to tackle any environment and the board plan to ascertain whether he
is ready to leave the frying pan of Newcastle.

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The five-man wishlist for West Ham to replace David Moyes as manager
One candidate has already met with David Sullivan but he would like to catch
up with four others as well
By Sam Inkersole West Ham Correspondent
10:19, 15 MAY 2018

Paulo Fonseca is the early front runner to be West Ham's next manager after
meeting with David Sullivan at his mansion on Monday for 75 minutes to
discuss replacing David Moyes. The Portuguese boss is out of contract with
Shakhtar Donetsk at the end of the Ukrainian league season and according to
our friends at Mirror Football, has already viewed some luxury apartments in
London after talks went well. Fonseca, who was also wanted by Everton when
the binned Ronald Koeman and still want him now, is the bookies favourite
but he is not the only manager that Hammers co-owner David Sullivan wants to
meet. Unai Emery, the former Paris St Germain manager, is set to meet with
Sullivan later this week though there are concerns over the Spaniard's lack
of English if he does take the job. He has pedigree though, having been boss
at PSG and winning trophies while also having a successful stint in charge
at Sevilla as well. Emery was also interested in taking the West Ham job
before Bilic got it three years ago.

Manuel Pellegrini is also on the list but it will prove extremely difficult
to entice him away from a lucrative contract in China with Hebei Fortune. He
signed a three-year contract with the Chinese Super League outfit in
September 2016. Also, the CSL season is currently in full swing with only
ten games of the season played so far and 20 still to go. There is a break
from the end of this week until July 11 in the CSL but Pellegrini is still
unlikely to leave and his club won't let him go without a big compensation
pay-off.

Marco Silva is in the frame as well but with Sam Allardyce seemingly on his
way out of Everton, the Portuguese boss is back in the frame to take over at
Goodison Park after he was blocked from doing so when they sacked Koeman by
his then club, Watford. Sullivan is a fan of Silva, who he wanted to take
over when Slaven Bilic was sacked last November but failed in his quest to
bring him to east London. Rafa Benitez is the one Sullivan really, really
wants. As with Pellegrini though, it might prove extremely difficult to lure
him away from Newcastle, where he is revered with God-like stature after
what he has achieved on Tyneside.

Benitez's representatives are asking Mike Ashley to bump the Spaniard's pay
up to £8m from the current £6.5m he earns as he enters the final year of his
contract with the Toon. So that's the asking prcie for Sullivan if he wants
to get the Spaniard to the capital. Then, of course, there is David Moyes,
who is set to meet with the owners early next week. While it's not 100 per
cent decided yet, it's seemingly clear that West Ham are going to head in a
different direction and away from the manager who kept them in the Premier
League this season.

The transfer window opens this Thursday and West Ham want a new manager in
place within the next eight days so they have enough time to work some magic
in the much-shortened window to overhaul the squad ahead of the 2018/19
Premier League season.

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Who is Paulo Fonseca? Shakhtar boss profiled after holding talks with West
Ham over replacing David Moyes
The 44-year-old, currently in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, is in
contention to replace David Moyes
By Chris Beesley Jon Livesey
10:23, 15 MAY 2018UPDATED10:24, 15 MAY 2018

West Ham have held talks with Paulo Fonseca over replacing David Moyes this
summer. Fonseca is currently in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine and
has been linked with the Everton job. But he has met with the Hammers
hierarchy this week as they look to replace Moyes, despite him leading the
club to a 13th place finish. Mirror Football understands he even had a
viewing at a luxury one bedroom property in the surrounding area after
concluding positive talks.

But just who is the Portuguese boss? Here is all you need to know.

Fonseca learned his trade working relative wonders with one of Portuguese
football's lesser lights before a short spell with a major domestic club and
then winning a league title in a foreign country. His coaching career has
been more nomadic – he held no fewer than eight senior posts in Portuguese
club football before moving overseas.
His list of positions reads as follows:
1 de Dezembro 2007-08;
Odivelas 2008-09;
Pinhalnovense 2009-11;
Aves 2011-12;
Pacos Ferreira 2012-13;
Porto 2013-14;
Pacos Ferreira 2014-15;
Braga 2015-16.

Although his only trophy at Porto was the Portuguese Super Cup, Fonseca –
who like former Everton and Liverpool man Abel Xavier was born in the former
Portuguese colony of Mozambique – steered Braga to only their second
Portuguese Cup success in 2016. He promptly quit for Shakhtar Donetsk where
he promptly completed a clean sweep of honours in his first season in
Ukrainian football. Fonseca secured the Premier League, Cup and Super Cup
which unsurprisingly prompted him to be voted the Best Coach in the division
for 2016/17. Last month – before Koeman was sacked – Fonseca, who is
believed to have been a fellow contender for the Blues post in 2016
alongside the Dutchman after Roberto Martinez's dismissal, reiterated his
desire to work in the English game. He told the Telegraph: "I have this
dream and I believe this can happen. I believe a lot this can happen. If
it's soon or not, I have this dream. "I have a big, big passion about the
game and the atmosphere in England is amazing. I hope one day to live it.
It's the biggest league in the world. For any coach, to work in England can
be amazing. You have the best coaches and the best players."

A fluent English speaker, Fonseca was asked on the timescale of when he
would want to come to the Premier League and added: "I hope soon, but I
don't know when. "I finish my contract with Shakhtar at the end of this
season. They start to try to speak with me and we will see what happens. "At
this moment I am focused on our league and the Champions League."

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LET'S THANK DAVID MOYES, BUT SAY GOODBYE...
By Iain Dale 15 May 2018 at 08:00
WTID

As I write this on Monday evening, it looks pretty certain that David Moyes
will be leaving West Ham. In a strict contractual sense, he has already left
given that his contract apparently finished at midnight on Sunday. So, in
some ways it is entirely right and proper that the West Ham board should
cast their net far and wide in order to start next season with the best
manager possible. Moyes has tried to put a little pressure on David Sullivan
with some of his comments at the weekend, but if he is expecting it to work,
it looks as if he's mightily mistaken.

Moyes did what was asked of him. He ensured West Ham avoided relegation.
Seven out of nine points in the last three matches of the season saw to
that. And yet…
I'll put my cards on the table. I didn't want Moyes to replace Bilic. I
remember emailing David Sullivan almost pleading not to appoint him. But
we're a fickle lot, we supporters, and he actually won me around. He seemed
to inject a new, and some would say, much needed discipline into the team.
Their fitness levels seemed to improve, and after a rather dodgy start, we
started to win a few games. I'm sure we all remember the 1-0 victory against
Chelsea. There were some half decent performances too, even if the results
weren't always what they might have been. However, Moyes has always been
known for his 'let's get the defence right first' approach to football. But
he never really did that. We shipped goals like there was no tomorrow. The
results don't lie. We let in more goals over the season than any other club
in the league. Luckily we scored twelve more than Burnley, who finished 7th.
Of the 31 matches Moyes managed, six were lost by three goals or more. Yes,
he could cite defensive injuries, but when you sell one of your experienced
defenders in the transfer window when several of your other defenders are
injury prone, be careful what you wish for. Just imagine where we'd be if
young Declan Rice hadn't risen to the challenge.

It was in mid-March that I began to wonder whether my new found faith in
David Moyes had been misplaced. It was the Burnley, Stoke and Arsenal
matches which really did it for me. The team selections seemed to defy
logic. How he could think the same formations and lineups for Stoke at home
and Arsenal away beggared belief.

It was around that time that it emerged that at least six West Ham players
were hacked off with the manager. OK, there will always be players who are
unhappy for various reasons, but when you have such diverse characters as
Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Manuel Lanzini, Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll
and a couple of others all saying the same thing (apparently), you know
there is a problem. I don't believe in player power overruling a manager,
but it was hardly the best environment to launch a run in of very difficult
games, which, had we lost all of them, could have ended up with relegation.
In the end we missed relegation by 9 points, but it could have been very
different.

The fact that we got two wins and a draw against three decent teams in our
last three games shouldn't mask the inherent problems at West Ham. We got
those points against three teams with nothing to play for. Unlike us. I'll
admit to being surprised at the quality of the team performances in each of
those games, but it's easy to play well when the other team isn't operating
at 100% firepower. We have some outstanding individual players who often
play as if they have never met their teammates. That happened under Bilic
and it has happened far too often under Moyes. And too often he hasn't been
able to change tactics to get the best out many of the players, albeit with
one exception.

That exception has been Marko Arnautovic. I'd love to know what triggered
his transformation from a journeyman who couldn't be arsed under Bilic to
one of the Premier League's best players under Moyes. He scored for fun and
became a world beater. He clearly seemed to think he had a point to prove to
all of us, and he proved it with some panache. He's a player I've grown to
love watching. Is that down to David Moyes? I don't know.

When Slaven Bilic left we had 9 points from 11 games. Moyes has got 31
points from 27 games. In a full season that would have been a total of 43
points. Hardly earthshattering. If Bilic's record had continued we'd have
had 32 points and been relegated.

My honest feeling is that David Moyes isn't a West Ham kind of manager and
frankly never will be. I think it was the 3-0 capitulation at Wigan in the
FA Cup that started the rot in terms of him losing the fans. In truth,
though, we never took to him.

I know there are many people who believe he should be given a two year
contract. My fear is that we will have another Allardyce on our hands. He'll
do OK but won't play the kind of football we want to watch. I'll never
forget the despair I felt at various points during Allardyce's reign. It's
the only time I've actually dreaded going to a match because I knew I'd be
bored.

Having said that, when did we last have a West Ham kind of manager? Zola?
Pardew?

Looking at the candidates to replace Moyes, there are one or two who I doubt
would offer a different kind of football to Moyes. Benitez's teams, for
example, have never been at the cutting edge of entertaining football.

Talk of attracting the likes of Emery, Pellegrini, Nagelsmann or Ancelotti
is all well and good but are we really going to attract any of them? Really?
I'd love to believe it, but I have my doubts. But we should certainly be
aiming high if the club's ambition really is to proceed to the next level.
The fact that Paulo Fonseca, the Shakhtar Donetsk manager was seen being
driven into David Sullivan's Essex mansion yesterday evening is certainly an
encouraging sign.

There are, however, plenty of good managers already operating in England or
Scotland who would fit us well, if we can't get one of the top managers.
Brendan Rodgers would surely welcome a return to the Premier League. Would
Eddie Howe or Sean Dyche not be persuadable and relish a new challenge?
Could David Wagner be enticed away from Huddersfield? Marco Silva, the
former Watford manager, is said to interest the board. He did a cracking job
at Watford until his head was turned by Everton. He was never quite the same
again, and Watford eventually lost patience with him.

My conclusion is that David Moyes should be thanked for his work at West Ham
but we should then bid him farewell. There is, however, a but. If there
really is no one on the managerial market who fits the job better than
Moyes, then we may have to ask him to stay on. He may regard that as
insulting, and tell us to do one unless he is offered the job within the
next week. So be it. But the board owes it so us to get this appointment
right. We can't contemplate another Avram Grant situation. Time is rather of
the essence, given that the transfer window opens on Thursday.

Whoever becomes our next manager is going to need to start with a fairly
blank sheet of paper. There will be quite a few departures from the club
over the summer and I suspect we will be buying quite a few players. So
while there is no imperative to appoint a manager this week, we should
certainly be making an offer well before the World Cup finals start.

Nostrovia.

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