- West Ham have started sounding out candidates to replace Moyes
- The pressure is increasing now that West Ham has gone eight games without a win
- Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane? Which five players should have played in the Premier League? Listen to the It all starts podcast
The future of West Ham head coach David Moyes is under increasing pressure as the club draws up a list of candidates to replace the Scot.
Mail Sport understands that the Hammers, who hope to have star player Lucas Paqueta available again within a fortnight, have started sounding out candidates to replace their manager.
Primarily, the club is trying to identify which managers are open to replacing Moyes, but also to determine the potential cost of appointing certain candidates.
West Ham are not rushing to make a final decision on Moye’s future, but the news gives a clear indication that the former Manchester United boss’ future is under threat.
Among the candidates believed to be of interest to West Ham are Julen Lopetegui, Steve Cooper and Graham Potter.
David Moyes has faced calls from supporters for him to be sacked as West Ham manager
Fans unfurled a banner calling for Moyes to be sacked during the defeat at Nottingham Forest
Your browser does not support iframes.
Former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner is admired by leading figures at the club but has been appointed boss of Crystal Palace.
The club have long been interested in Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel, who is under pressure at the Bundesliga giants, although it seems unlikely he would consider a return to London with West Ham.
Moyes has held talks about signing a new contract after a promising start to the season, but the willingness of key figures at the London Stadium to re-commit to the 60-year-old has waned following poor form.
The club would ideally like to get to the end of the season before making a final decision on Moyes, but sources claim that accelerating a decision cannot be ruled out if results continue to disappoint.
A section of supporters have turned against Moyes after a run of eight games without a win, with co-owner David Sullivan well aware of the rising feelings towards the club boss among some fans.
The defeat at home to Brentford on Monday will culminate in further vocal discontent from disgruntled fans, which will only increase the pressure on Moyes’ position.
Moyes found himself in a similar position last season as the team battled relegation.
But the club’s euphoric victory in the Europa Conference League saw Moyes handed the chance to take charge of the team for the final year of his contract.
A rise in results in the coming weeks as the Hammers resume their Europa League campaign would ease the pressure on Moyes.
West Ham’s poor run coincided with Paqueta’s absence.
The pressure is mounting as West Ham have gone eight games without a win in all competitions
The Brazilian international has been missing since the beginning of January with a calf problem, but is now training on the grass again.
With the Hammers still seven days away from playing, the club will take the opportunity to accelerate Paqueta’s training load, with the aim of having him available within two weeks.
It remains to be seen whether Paqueta can make enough progress to get into the squad to face Brentford, but there are hopes he could be available by the time the Hammers face Everton on March 2.
Moritz Steidten, brother of sporting director Tim, has now been appointed head of international scouting and recruitment.