Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United and Everton are all suffering relatively poor Premier League seasons, which has led to the 'managerial merry-go-round' being in full swing ahead of the festive period - and reports have suggested that Sergio Conceicao is a name in the frame for the trio.
The 'genius' Portuguese boss left Porto last season after a third-placed finish in the Primeira Liga - ending a seven-year affiliation with the club. That has put him on the managerial scrapheap for the season. With Premier League clubs letting their managers go, or being on the verge of giving them the boot, he's a name that has cropped up in circles - and reports have stated that the trio are interested with West Ham being his favoured destination.
Report: West Ham, Wolves and Everton All in Conceicao Race
The Portuguese boss is a prime candidate for the Premier League trio
FC Porto coach Sergio Conceicao vs Arsenal.
The report from TEAMtalk states that West Ham, Wolves and Everton are all considering Conceicao as an 'important name' if they sack Julen Lopetegui, Gary O'Neil and Sean Dyche respectively.
The trio of clubs have not been at their best this campaign, with Lopetegui and O'Neil playing it out in a game dubbed 'El Sackico' on Monday and Dyche, whilst results haven't been poor, will see his contract expire at the end of the season.
Sergio Conceicao's Primeira Liga statistics - Porto record by season
Season
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
Conceicao reportedly sees the appeal of coaching in the Premier League, and has a slight preference towards the Hammers - with all three clubs thinking of hiring him in the future.
Lopetegui has been given more time at the London Stadium after beating Wolves on Monday evening, though his position at the London Stadium is still seen as untenable, and he will have to continue that win with positive results against Bournemouth and Brighton.
O'Neil is on thin ice, and his loss against the Hammers has put him on the verge of the sack - and Conceicao is high up the shortlist of managers at Molineux if the Englishman does depart. O'Neil has reportedly asked to be kept on until January for new purchases to help his struggling squad, though poor results against Ipswich Town and Leicester City may push him to the exit door by then.
Everton, on the other hand, are still five points clear of relegation but they face tough teams in their next few games - and Conceicao is the 'desired' name by Toffees chiefs, with the Merseyside club set to be taken over by the Friedkin Group in the coming weeks.
West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui and co-owner David Sullivan Related
Exclusive: West Ham 'Very Unlikely' to Replace Lopetegui with 61-Year-Old Manager
West Ham United are not on course to hand David Moyes the opportunity to enjoy a third spell in charge
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 12-12-24.