West Ham next manager odds: Former Fulham & Bournemouth coach the early favourite
West Ham are reportedly close to sacking Nuno Espírito Santo - we look at the current favourites to replace him.
At the time of writing, Nuno Espírito Santo is still West Ham’s manager – but few observers expect that to remain the case for long. With the club relegated on the final day, it’s widely anticipated that the 52-year-old will be replaced.
Sky Sports are among the media outlets reporting that Espírito Santo is engaged in talks with chairman David Sullivan and the rest of the board to discuss his future, and it would be a significant surprise if those discussions didn’t result in a change of manager.
With a decision imminent, the bookmakers are already offering odds on the next man to take charge at the London Stadium – so we’ve taken a look at the early frontrunners for the job.
Scott Parker the early favourite to be the next West Ham manager
Based on the odds being offered so far, former Burnley manager Scott Parker is a pretty clear frontrunner, and you can even find him priced odds on to take over from Espírito Santo in the coming weeks.
Parker has been promoted from the Championship three times already with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley themselves and whilst he has struggled to prove himself in the Premier League, his record in the second tier is undeniably impressive. West Ham could bank on him working his magic once more to ensure a swift return to the top flight.
The only other coaches with odds shorter than 10/1 are former Wolves and Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil, who like Parker has perhaps struggled to straddle the gap between the top two tiers, and Slaven Bilić, who could be lined up for a second spell with the club, having managed the team for which he once played between 2015 and 2017.
Bilić may have been sacked by the club nearly a decade ago but only David Moyes has even earned more points per game than the Croatian, who has been out of work since leaving Saudi side Al-Fateh in 2024.
Former England managers among long shots
Past the 10/1 point, it looks like the bookmakers are, frankly, pulling names out of a hat and there are a few suggestions here which can be politely described as implausible.
Would Frank Lampard really leave newly-promoted Coventry City to take over at the club he once played for? Could former England head coaches Gareth Southgate and Sam Allardyce seriously be in contention? We highly doubt it, but a few of the oddsmakers don’t seem to think it’s all that unlikely.
More realistic options at a similar odds include Wales manager Craig Bellamy, former Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Steve Cooper, who was recently sacked by Danish side Brøndby after an unsuccessful stint with the Scandinavian side.
The only other manager whose odds currently sit south of 20/1 is England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley, who is routinely linked with similar jobs but who has thus far been content to continue working in the national team set-up.
As it stands, West Ham have yet to confirm that they’re even in the market for a new manager, but it’s hard to imagine the club persisting with Espírito Santo despite the upturn in form since he took charge mid-season – and the fact that they’ve picked up more points than any other team to be relegated in the last 15 years.