West Ham draw up impressive managerial candidate list despite positive talks with target

West Ham United appear to be looking for a new manager to lead the first-team next season, as talks with Paulo Fonseca have been positive, according to a report in The Guardian.

The media outlet are claiming the Shakhtar Donetsk manager and his agent have held discussions with co-owner David Sullivan at his Essex home and are believed to have gone well.

However, it is also thought that Fonseca is just one of a number of names that the Hammers are interested in guiding the London Stadium outfit next year.

The Irons are concerned that the Portuguese manager could be able to move to a club with a bigger profile, following his successes in Ukraine and have put in contingency plans should a move for the 45-year-old fail to materialise.

A number of the men linked to replace David Moyes at the club this summer already posses Premier League experience, whilst it would not hide their ambitions and show what the owners want for the team.

Newcastle United’s Rafa Benitez, Manuel Pellegrini of Hebei China Fortune and Unai Emery have all been suggested as candidates for the role at the London Stadium, whilst Marco Silva looks set to join Everton in the coming days.

It is thought that Moyes has a slim chance of remaining at the East London outfit, with his contract having already expired and West Ham will want to act quickly to bring in a new manager, especially someone with the calibre of their shortlisted personnel.