The pillars of change are shifting down in east London, with David Moyes’ tenuous grip on the managerial seat at West Ham United weakened further after a desperate 5-2 defeat against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Having lost, valiantly, to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-finals last week, a reaction was needed in the top flight to forge a path toward continental qualification, but, eighth in the standings and two points off Manchester United in seventh – who have two games in hand – it’s looking unlikely that the Hammers will paint the purple patch needed.
Sporting Director Tim Steidten appears to have had enough, and while the London Stadium owes much to Moyes and the gains made under his leadership, moves have been made to identify a successor, with the Scotsman out of contract in the summer.
West Ham eyeing Ruben Amorim alternatives
Some exciting news arrived on Monday, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirming that Sporting manager Ruben Amorim is West Ham’s top target and is no longer the frontrunner for the Liverpool job, but Steidten has mapped out a list of alternatives.
According to The Guardian, former Germany and Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick is under consideration.
The 59-year-old has been out of work since being dismissed by Die Mannschaft in 2023, though boasts a wealth of high-level experience and an attractive playing style to boot.
Why Hansi Flick would be perfect for West Ham
Flick first rose to prominence when serving as Joachim Löw’s assistant as his nation triumphed at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, then moved to Bayern Munich as Niko Kovac’s understudy and took the leading position in the dugout when the former Croatia star was dismissed in November 2019.
In that maiden term – not even a full season – at the helm, Flick led Die Roten to a stunning continental treble, winning the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal. An erudite footballing mind with a far-seeing tactical disposition, Flick, at his best, is up there with the greatest the game has to offer.
Hansi Flick: Major Managerial Honours |
||
---|---|---|
Trophy |
Team |
Times won |
FIFA World Cup |
Germany assistant |
1x (2014) |
German Bundesliga |
Bayern Munich |
2x (19/20), (20/21) |
Champions League |
Bayern Munich |
1x (19/20) |
DFB Pokal |
Bayern Munich |
1x (19/20) |
UEFA Super Cup |
Bayern Munich |
1x (20/21) |
DFL-Supercup |
Bayern Munich |
1x (20/21) |
Sourced via Transfermarkt |
One of the most discernible differences when Flick replaced Kovac at the Allianz Arena was a ramping-up of aggression, with goal machine Robert Lewandowski saying: “His tactical and footballing knowledge are at a high level.”
He galvanised and wrapped the team into a uniform vision, a singular goal, in short time sparking a change that saw a return to enterprising and fluid attacking football.
It’s for this reason that Flick would be the perfect man to lead a new chapter at West Ham. He would arrive at an outfit with a proven record but that nonetheless has fallen by the wayside, and his vision could signal a prosperous change, rooting his philosophy into the London Stadium and swiftly winning the club, wall-to-wall, over.
Moyes has done much for West Ham but his tactics have long been perceived as negative and this has sundered the fanbase into a bleak schism. Success breeds longing, naturally, and the Irons now have a taste of gold.
Amorim, while young and bold and compelling, is more of an unknown commodity and would demand radical shifting in style and system, brandishing a three-at-the-back line-up and completely rewriting the way West Ham play.
Flick, conversely, operates with a 4-2-3-1 set-up – as, would you look at that, does Moyes, albeit with contrasting emphases – though is reliant on similar ball-focused build-up, with those in the rearguard equipped with top-class distribution ability.
Moreover, the German has been described as “world-class” by reporter Stefan Bienkowski, a sentiment echoed by the masses when he was at the summit of his career with Bayern.
While Amorim is the frontrunner, it has been stressed that Liverpool remain on stand-by despite distancing themselves from the Liga Portugal table-topper.
Should West Ham opt against moving for one of the most coveted rising stars in the managerial stratosphere, Flick, not quite the grizzled veteran but wizened and substantiated at the top of the game, would be worth the venture – now that there is a first-rate alternative.
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