Manuel Pellegrini faces the sack, and these five managers are in the running to replace him - report

Manuel Pellegrini

West Ham are close to sacking Manuel Pellegrini after an inconsistent first half of the season, leaving another high profile managerial role to fill in London. 

According to the Daily Star, David Moyes is one of five managers being considered for the role, and is apparently very keen on returning to the club.

Moyes signed a six-month deal with the club in 2017, but despite guiding them away from relegation that season, his contract wasn't extended and Pellegrini was hired. 

Moyes was also recently linked with a return to Everton after the sacking of Marco Silva, however the chances of that happening now appear to be slim. 

Carlo Ancelotti, Eddie Howe, Chris Hughton and Roberto Martinez are the other names being linked with the job at The London Stadium. 

Of those four, Ancelotti and Hughton are the only two currently without a club, Ancelotti having been sacked by Napoli this season and Hughton without a job since being replaced at Brighton by Graham Potter. 

Eddie Howe has long been linked with a step up in management, given his impressive record at Bournemouth. Roberto Martinez has Premier League experience too, but with Belgium one of the favourites for the European Championships next summer, it seems unlikely he'd leave before then. 

As for Pellegrini, he was asked this week about whether he expected to be in the job much longer. He said:

"You never know. 

"Your job doesn’t depend on winning or losing - it depends on the trust of the owners.

"I am absolutely sure they trust in what we do - but I can’t answer that at this moment.”

In the wake of West Ham's 1-0 win over Southampton, Michail Antonio publicly backed his manager, saying the players have "loads of respect" for him. 

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