Hansi Flick rejects European job offer amid talks with West Ham United to replace David Moyes
Hansi Flick looks like he might now be gunning for the West Ham job after rejecting an offer from Europe.
The former Germany boss has already communicated with the Irons over potentially replacing David Moyes this summer, and is thought to be a favourite of compatriot Tim Steidten from the technical director’s time in the Bundesliga.
Now, Sports Digitale journalist Sercan Dikme has reported, via Twitter on 2 May, that the 59-year-old has rejected an offer from Besiktas because he wants to work in a top five European league.
The Hammers are believed to have held talks with Flick, Julen Lopetegui and Ruben Amorim so far, with the latter seemingly ruled out after a meeting with David Sullivan didn’t go positively.
Former Wolves boss Lopetegui appears to still be a prominent option despite apparently preferring to take the AC Milan job before they got cold feed.
But Flick, a former treble-winner with Bayern Munich looks like he could be interested if Steidten can convince the powers that be at the London Stadium to make him an offer.
Tim Steidten at work to find next West Ham boss
Officially the decision on Moyes’ future is still not yet made and won’t be until a sit-down meeting between the Scot and the club once the season ends.
But with behind the scenes discussions now keeping Steidten away from the first team while the manager remains in charge as he “actively” searches for a replacement [Daily Mail, 2 May] the writing looks like it is on the wall.
Whether appointing Flick, the inaugural UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year in 2020, would be the right move for West Ham is open to question since his huge success in a short time at the Allianz Arena was absolutely not matched in charge of his national team, where he was the first man to ever be sacked from that role in October.
He has two Bundesliga titles, a Champions League, a DFB Pokal, a Club World Cup and a European Super Cup to his name from his Bayern stint, as well as the UEFA award, and it’s German equivalents from the treble-winning season, but there doesn’t seem to have been a rush to employ him since he was sacked seven months ago.
However, after a flurry of activity around first Amorim and then Lopetegui it feels like the German is emerging as a serious possibility for the Irons, and rejecting other opportunities will only increase that idea.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have made progress in their bid to sign a sought-after domestic option.
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