Slaven Bilic is waiting in the wings for a West Ham reunion should the club decide to sack Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Portuguese boss is under huge pressure, having failed to turn around their form since his appointment at the end of September.
Favourite in the Premier League sack race, Espirito Santo has only won two of his 13 games in charge, losing seven.
It’s left them three points adrift in the bottom three and as short as 2/5 to be relegated at the end of the season.
West Ham host Brighton on Tuesday evening, with Espirito Santo desperate to relieve the pressure on his shoulders.
Slaven Bilic Could Replace Nuno Espirito Santo
Reports claim West Ham could look to appoint the Croatian on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Bilic knows the club inside out, having previously managed them for 111 games over 30 months before departing in 2017.
He guided the Hammers to seventh and subsequently qualified for the Europa League, before finishing the second campaign in 11th.
The 57-year-old has been without work since August 2024, when he left his role at Saudi Pro League club Al-Fateh.
Bilic already revealed how he held talks with club chiefs when they sacked Graham Potter and just how close he came to being named the new West Ham manager.
And those comments will surely be hanging over the head of Espirito Sano with his job on the line.
When asked if there was any truth to the talks with Hammers chiefs, he replied: “There was a bit, yeah, there was a bit.
“I was close or whatever, but I didn’t get the job. They got Nuno, who was a top manager and who’d done a great job at Wolves, not to mention Forest.”
West Ham Managerial Candidates
If Espirito Santo does receive the sack, Bilic would be the most obvious choice on a short-term deal, but the hierarchy may be tempted to look elsewhere.
Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna could be a potential candidate, as revealed by the Express.
McKenna worked wonders to secure back-t0-back promotions with Ipswich, but failed to keep them in the Premier League last season.
Their 2-0 victory away at Coventry on Monday leaves them just two points off the top two.
Former West Ham midfielder Gary O’Neil could also be an option, having been without a job since his sacking at Wolves a year ago.
