According to reports in The Telegraph, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is one of the preferred candidates for the vacant West Ham United job after they announced on Wednesday that David Moyes would be leaving the club following the expiry of his contract.

The east London outfit came close to appointing the Spaniard three years ago before he made a last-minute u-turn and joined Real Madrid instead, and now they want him again after Moyes failed to impress the fans and the board enough for them to keep him on.

Meanwhile, the former Liverpool boss enjoyed a fine campaign with the Magpies after leading them to a 10th-place finish in their first season back in the Premier League, but his relationship with owner Mike Ashley continues to be fractious and unless he gets the backing he wants, he could easily walk away.

The 58-year-old may well decide that enough is enough and a move to London to link up with the Hammers, whose fans on Twitter are loving a link to another 45-year-old candidate, could be tempting, and he would likely want to take some of his top flight heroes from this term with him down south if he did get the gig.

Here are three Newcastle stars Benitez should bring to West Ham with him, if he is appointed…

One of the new West Ham manager's priorities this summer is almost certainly going to be bringing a new centre-back to the club, with Jose Fonte leaving for China in February, James Collins set to leave when his contract expires next month and Winston Reid being hampered by injuries.

The east London outfit ideally need at least one – and probably two – central defenders this summer with an upgrade for Reid top of the agenda, and there is no doubt that if Rafa does arrive at the London Stadium that he should make every effort to bring his captain at St James' Park – Lascelles – with him.

The 24-year-old was brilliant throughout the campaign and showed his leadership skills in the backline, and he will probably count himself unlucky to have not made England's World Cup squad.

Like Lascelles, the midfielder will feel hard done by that he wasn’t considered to be part of Gareth Southgate's squad following the World Cup announcement on Wednesday, following a fine season in the middle of the park for the Magpies.

It didn't look as though it was going to well when the 26-year-old was sent off on the opening day of the campaign against Tottenham Hotspur, but he bounced back well and quickly gained the trust of Benitez again.

There is no doubt that the former Liverpool man would add a new dimension to the Irons in the middle of the park, and he would be a great addition for them with Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate both enduring difficult years.

Joao Mario is looking unlikely to return to the London Stadium on a permanent basis following his loan spell from Inter Milan in the second-half of the season, and while he was certainly neat and tidy he probably didn't make the required impact in terms of goals and assists – he got two goals and one assist in 14 appearances in all competitions.

If Rafa does take on the West Ham job, he could look to bring Ayoze Perez with him to play in the role behind the centre-forward for the east London outfit.

The Spaniard was a regular this term despite struggling for form at some points, but he ended the campaign with six goals and an assist in his side's final eight Premier League matches, showing the quality he has in his locker.

Do you agree, West Ham fans? Let us know below.