A proven Serie A title-winner is contending to replace the under-pressure Julen Lopetegui as West Ham United manager, alongside the heavily-linked Sergio Conceicao.
West Ham consider Sergio Conceicao as replacement for Julen Lopetegui
The Hammers are actively looking at alternatives to Lopetegui, who continues to walk a tightrope at the London Stadium.
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The former Spain and Real Madrid boss did himself absolutely no favours with their 5-2 humiliation at the hands of Arsenal on Saturday, with all seven of those goals scored inside 45 minutes, equalling a Premier League record.
It was a frustrating night for Lopetegui, who was forced to watch on from the stands as his West Ham side failed to implement the very basics of defending at times.
West Ham's next five Premier League matches Date
Leicester City (away) December 3
Wolves (home) December 9
Bournemouth (away) December 16
Brighton (home) December 21
Southampton (away) December 26
Unsurprisingly, reports have since emerged linking the 58-year-old with his P45, as former Porto boss Conceicao becomes a serious contender to succeed Lopetegui.
West Ham reportedly sounded out Conceicao - who won an incredible 11 major trophies at the Primeira Liga side before departing in the summer - long before now, but multiple overnight reports from reliable media outlets like talkSPORT and The Guardian have put real weight behind the 50-year-old's potential appointment.
Conceicao also took a lot of inspiration for his own style from Liverpool during the Jurgen Klopp era, lavishing praise on the Reds all the way back in 2019.
Conceicao-Porto
"Liverpool give me all what I like about football. In terms of their players and the way they play in the game," said Conceicao (via The Telegraph).
"I like the Liverpool dynamics. I like the Liverpool game model. I like the way they play and the way they are with the ball – and also without it. It is similar to how I see football and in a lot of these moments in a game, they are the best team in the world."
Conceicao, who won honours at Standard Liege in Belgium as well, is a very experienced tactician and boasts many seasons in the Champions League - which could be an enticing draw for supporters.
He is also currently a free agent, but he isn't the only illustrious manager available right now, as West Ham also eye former Juventus and AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri.
Allegri contending to replace Lopetegui at West Ham with Conceicao
According to The Guardian and Jacob Steinberg, Allegri is also contending to replace Lopetegui at West Ham.
Massimiliano Allegri-1
The 57-year-old is currently a free agent after leaving Juventus, and his time in Serie A was certainly memorable. Allegri helped Juve to dominate Italian football for a period - winning five Scudettos in a row from 2014 to 2019 - with the Italian also guiding AC Milan to a title in 2011.
He won five Coppa Italia's and three Italian super cups during his time in Italy as well, reaching two Champions League finals, and he was sacked by Juve just two days after guiding them to one of their Italian cup wins earlier this year.