West Ham United may need to be wary of Brazilian side Atlético-MG as they’ve made ‘initial contacts’ with Sérgio Conceição.
That’s according to GOAL Brasil, who report that they are looking for a replacement for Gabriel Milito, who was fired on Wednesday night after the 2-0 defeat to Vasco.
According to their information, Atlético have made contact with Conceição and fellow Portuguese coach Luís Castro. The latter is also being targeted by their arch rivals Cruzeiro.
Proposals have not yet been formalised by the pair are top of the club’s priority list. Their board believes they are both good coaches and ‘more accessible’ as they are currently out of work.
Atlético believe hiring a Portuguese coach is their best bet, with the success of others in the league encouraging them to move in that direction.
They have several names on their list, including Conceição, which could come as bad news to West Ham.
They’ve reportedly put the 50-year-old at the top of their list to replace Julen Lopetegui, who appears to be hanging on to his job by a thread after a disappointing start to the season since his arrival in the summer.
Several reports have made it clear that they’ve made very early moves for him and expressed interest, with a move to the Premier League seen as a serious possibility.
Now there could be competition from Brazil, something West Ham will have to take into consideration lest they miss out on a prime target.