West Ham Still Pursuing Napoli Boss Maurizio Sarri to Replace Slaven Bilić as Talk Begins to Mount
West Ham continue to be linked with Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri as Slaven Bilic's time at the club looks to be coming to an end. With unrest growing amongst the fans, a 3-2 loss on Saturday against bitter rivals Spurs added to the unstable nature of the club - who currently reside in 18th.
Off the back of a disappointing season last season, the Hammers hierarchy may think it's time to pull the trigger on Bilic - who has failed to replicate the achievements of the 2015/16 season, where West Ham finished 7th, above the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.
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Initially reported by the Sunday Express, these rumours have failed to die down for weeks - with results and transfers disappointing, Bilic's contract is also set to expire at the end of the season.
Echoed by Football Italia, the Croatian manager could be the second Premier League manager to face the chop this season. Sarri has a buyout clause of around £7.5m included in his contract, which is well within the Hammers' price range, but the appointment is unrealistic, to say the least.
Napoli and Sarri couldn't be further away from West Ham's position, as the club are joint top of Serie A and playing some of the most exciting football in Europe.
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With Napoli poised to challenge for the Scudetto for the first time in years, Sarri has transformed the club and earned his own brand of football; nicknamed Sarrismo. The club retained top spot with a well fought 3-2 win over SPAL, scoring their 22nd goal of the season to win the fixture on Saturday.
However, another emerging name is Thomas Tuchel, who is currently a free agent - having parted ways with Dortmund at the end of May. West Ham may be able to entice the managerial prodigy, given the fact he is out of work and the financial position of the owners. It would certainly be a real statement of intent to lure a manager of Tuchel's quality to West Ham.
