Lack of Replacements Only Thing Stopping West Ham From Sacking Manager Slaven Bilic

West Ham have so far delayed sacking manager Slaven Bilic because they do not have a replacement lined up.

The Hammers are currently sixteenth in the Premier League after taking just two wins and nine points from their opening ten league games, with bottom side Crystal Palace's fight back from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 with Bilic's side on Saturday heaping further pressure on the beleaguered Croat.

The Sun claim that the only reason Bilic has yet to be shown the door at the London Stadium is that the club have yet to find a potential replacement to take the hot seat.

It was suggested however, that a heavy defeat at home to Liverpool on Saturday would force the hand of co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan, regardless of whether or not a new manager has been lined up.

With a trip to league leader Manchester City followed by visits from Chelsea and Arsenal to the London Stadium at the start of December, the club's hierarchy are thought to be keen to have a manager in place who will be capable of getting enough points from November's fixtures (Watford, Leicester and Everton) to pull the Hammers clear of the drop zone before that daunting trio of games in the festive period.

This is Bilic's third season in charge of West Ham, having finished the previous two seventh and eleventh in the Premier League respectively.