West Ham plan to have a new manager in place within 10 days after opting not to keep David Moyes on.
Moyes’ short-term contract ended at midnight on Sunday after West Ham’s final game of the season, a 3-1 win over his former side Everton which saw them finish 13th in the Premier League.
Despite the 55-year-old Scot guiding the Hammers out of the relegation zone after taking over in November, joint-chairman David Sullivan has decided the club need to move in a “different direction” with a “high-calibre figure”.
Sullivan has reportedly already held talks with Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca, although reports emanating from Fonseca’s homeland Portugal claim he has instead opted to stay put with the Ukrainian side and sign a new contract.
Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, currently with Hebei China Fortune, outgoing Paris St Germain coach Unai Emery, and Newcastle’s Rafael Benitez, have also been linked with the role.
Sullivan said in a statement on the club website: “When David and his team arrived, it was the wish of both parties that the focus be only on the six months until the end of the season, at which point a decision would be made with regards to the future.
“Having taken stock of the situation and reflected now the campaign is complete, we feel that it is right to move in a different direction.
“We are already taking steps to identify and recruit the manager we believe can take West Ham United forward in line with our ambitions.
“We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next 10 days.”
Moyes had previously said he felt he would not be short of offers were he not to stay at West Ham. He recently revealed he had already turned down one Premier League job while in charge of the Hammers.
Assistant coaches Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay have also left the London Stadium.