West Ham United target Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino amid David Moyes pressure
Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino have both been named as managers on West Ham United’s coaching list, according to Dean Jones.
David Moyes is set to come under increasing pressure when the Premier League resumes on Boxing Day (26 December) with the Irons only two places above the relegation zone.
The board are already starting to draw up plans for replacing the Scotsman if results do not improve at the London Stadium heading into the new year.
“Pochettino would probably be on their list. Tuchel would probably be on that list as well,” Jones said to Give Me Sport. “They would have to be managers that you at least sound out for that position.”
Pochettino was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain on 5 July despite winning Ligue 1 while Tuchel was given the same treatment by Chelsea on 7 September.
Big ask
If West Ham do decide that Moyes is no longer the man to lead the club forward on the pitch, they might find it difficult to tempt either Pochettino or Tuchel to the London Stadium.
Both managers will almost demand European football and with the Irons only 16th in the division right now, they know that it will have to come via either the FA Cup or the Europa Conference League.
Relying on a knockout tournament to secure your season-long goals is a very risky game to play and should the Hammers be dumped out of both then they won’t have a hope of getting either boss into the hot seat.
The only thing that could then tempt them to accept any approach would be a handy transfer budget but even that could be a problem after Moyes spent £150million at least in the summer.
On paper, though, this squad is far better than where it sits in the Premier League so the hope should remain that Moyes can oversee a rise up the league after Christmas.