PAULO FONSECA remains interested in the West Ham job should David Moyes depart.
The Hammers have identified the Portuguese coach – who is currently at Ligue 1 club Lille – as a potential replacement.
Moyes, 60, recently revealed he is already planning for next season – but there are question marks over his long-term future after a poor Premier League campaign.
And SunSport understands that Fonseca, 50, is keeping an eye on the situation in East London from afar.
It is also understood that Fonseca is open to leaving Lille this summer should he not receive assurances over available transfer funds, despite being under contract until 2024.
Jobless pair Graham Potter and Brendan Rodgers, as well as Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, have also been linked.
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Fonseca came close joining West Ham in 2018 at the end of Moyes’ first spell, meeting with owner David Sullivan, only for Manuel Pellegrini to take over for a brief stint.
Since then, he has managed Roma and then Lille, taking the latter from 10th to fifth this season – yet they are still 10 points off a Champions League spot with five games left.
Fonseca is known for his attacking style of play, one which almost saw him land the Tottenham job in 2021 only for negotiations to break down late on.
The message from inside West Ham is that Moyes is expected to be in charge next season – yet this is largely dependent on results in their final four games.
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Despite spending £160m last summer, relegation is still on the cards after Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City, sitting in 15th just four points above the bottom three.
The run-in is a tricky one, welcoming Manchester United to the London Stadium on Sunday before a trip to Brentford followed by two defining clashes against 17th-placed Leeds and 16th-placed Leicester.
West Ham are also tipped to reach the Europa Conference League final with this month’s semi-final versus AZ Alkmaar considered a favourable one.
Lifting the club’s first piece of silverware since 1980 – and securing European football for a third successive year – could buy Moyes more time.
However, fans are wary that Moyes would then be entrusted with yet another squad rebuild, especially given the fact skipper Declan Rice is likely to leave for a hefty fee.
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