Amid reports that the Hammers have begun sounding out candidates to replace David Moyes, West Ham next manager betting markets have begun to shift in light of a potential new appointment.
West Ham next manager – latest news:
UECL trophy under Moyes has bought him time
David Moyes has occupied the dugout since 2019 and still boasts a comfortable number of admirers at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium. Whatever his perceived faults, the Scotsman has overseen some great times after a tumultuous start, guiding the club to 6th and 7th place finishes in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively. But his crowning achievement is, of course, the Europa Conference League trophy he won in 2022/23 – also West Ham’s first ever European trophy altogether.
On the domestic front, however, cracks began to appear in the Moyes edifice last season. The Hammers slumped to 14th in the Premier League, as more progressive signings such as Gianluca Scamacca struggled to fit into Moyes old-school approach. This season started strong, but the Hammers' 2024 has been disastrous so far, with no wins in their first eight games of this year. It has long been reported that West Ham see the summer as a natural end point of their time with Moyes. But their dire recent run may hasten the demise of the former Everton boss.
Fresh approach needed?
West Ham had £105m to add to an already sizeable transfer budget this summer as beloved club captain Declan Rice was sold to Arsenal. The Hammers spent big on Mohamed Kudus and Edson Alvarez from Ajax, the latter being the closest to a direct Rice replacement in their summer window, as well as Konstantinos Mavropanos and James Ward-Prowse. All of these signings have performed well in moments, but their most recent signing, Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City, has not impressed at all.
The issue West Ham have is that not all of their recent signings are seamless matches for Moyes' direct and old-fashioned style. Premier League football has evolved a lot since Moyes became a top-flight manager, and there are valid questions over whether the Scotsman's approach is best placed to get the best out of the talented players in the West Ham squad.
Current outrights for West Ham next manager betting:
Graham Potter – 15/8
The former Brighton and Chelsea manager is the current favourite in this market, with his odds shortening in recent days – and it is not hard to see why. Potter did a superb job on the south coast, transforming the Seagulls from the traditional, defensive side it had been under previous boss Chris Houghton into a free-flowing modern side, which picked up some extremely impressive results during his tenure.
Potter had a disastrous time at Chelsea, but the circumstances into which he was thrust were hardly tolerable for any manager. In short, it was too much of a step up too quickly. West Ham thus represent something of a happy medium between Potter’s two previous clubs. The Hammers boast more history, prestige and (likely) long-term financial backing than Brighton, but without the suffocating pressure to immediately succeed that is found at Stamford Bridge.
The Irons will face competition for Potter. He is widely admired, and Leicester City made an attempt to coax him out of his current sabbatical to rescue them from relegation late last season. But Potter is reportedly being careful when picking his next destination, having been burned by Chelsea.
This seems a good fit for both manager and club, but it may be harder to get Potter to take over mid-season, should West Ham pull the trigger on Moyes before May.
William Still – 3/1
Will Still has experienced a dizzying rise to professional management, after learning the basics from the iconic Football Manager video game. At Reims, he stepped up from assistant to head coach last season without a full professional management licence – infamously earning Reims a £20,000 fine for every game he oversaw.
Xabi Alonso was second favourite for the Hammers' hot-seat for a long time, but with Bayern Munich and Liverpool now sniffing around the Leverkusen boss, he may be out of West Ham's reach. As such, Still is now second favourite for the Hammers’ hotseat. He's also a boyhood Hammer, and with Reims sitting fourth before their 3-0 loss to PSG on Saturday evening, he'll be getting courted by more than one Premier League side in the coming months.
At just 30, Still is also the youngest manager in Europe's top five domestic leagues. He is exactly half Moyes' age, which would certainly – for better or worse – placate any desire for a comparatively modern and dynamic approach.
Mark Noble – 7/2
Bona fide Irons legend Mark Noble only retired from leading the Hammers in 2022, but is already an indispensable part of the West Ham setup, assuming duties as sporting director just over a year ago. Noble is an unknown quantity in the dugout, but may take over on a short-term basis should West Ham sack Moyes before the end of the season, until a permanent appointment can be made.
Noble has played much of the West Ham squad, so would have an instant rapport with the dressing room.
Jose Mourinho – 8/1
After being sacked by AS Roma, West Ham now have the chance to make a truly sensational appointment – the legendary Jose Mourinho
The two time Champions League and eight time domestic league winner has the most glittering CV of any candidate, and would surely relish the chance to return to England. However, there are questions over Mourinho's suitability to modern players, and his last four jobs have ended rather acrimoniously. As such, the Irons may steer clear.
