West Ham United are under serious threat of being relegated from the Premier League if they don’t improve their form, with David Moyes struggling to get a tune out of his current squad at the minute.
The Hammers have won just twice in the league since Christmas and their recent 4-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion could be the final straw for the club’s hierarchy, with Moyes now under severe pressure.
Several names have already been linked with the club, with Steve Cooper and Mauricio Pochettino the ones named, yet it is a former Premier League and Champions League winning manager who was reported to be on standby according to the Daily Mail should Moyes have been sacked at the end of last month – Rafa Benitez.
Could Rafa Benitez replace David Moyes at West Ham United?
The Spaniard has plenty of Premier League experience, having managed Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Everton throughout his career.
His most recent stint came at the Toffees, who he managed between June 2021 and January 2022, suffering a disastrous spell, winning only seven out of 22 games and having points per game rate of just 1.14.
Although this certainly looks woeful on paper, there were mitigating circumstances at the club, and his career has been an excellent one besides that abject stint.
Indeed, he guided Liverpool to Champions League glory while winning the UEFA Cup and two La Liga titles with Valencia while he also achieved promotion with Newcastle and kept them in the top flight despite the club being caught up in the business of Mike Ashley.
His time at St James' was hugely admired with skipper Jamal Lascelles suggesting he was a "special" coach at the time.
Having managed 359 matches in the English top flight, averaging 1.69 points per game, and with his teams scoring 543 times, he could certainly be an upgrade on Moyes with the Spaniard already showing he can guide a team through the rigours of a relegation dog fight,
An additional plus point is that the 62-year-old is not attached to any club at the moment and is consequently free to take over as soon as possible.
The Athletic’s Nick Miller claimed that Benitez has “been everywhere recently” and that the former Liverpool boss “wants a job” with that now potentially serving as music to the ears of the West Ham board.
Moyes has done well at the club, especially leading them to a major European semi-final last season, however, his methods haven’t quite got the team firing this term and with Premier League safety paramount for any club battling the drop, never mind a team the size of West Ham, a change could be imminent with Benitez looking a 'special' successor lying in wait.