Under-fire Bilic must halt slide or face axe
THE pressure on manager Slaven Bilic will intensify if West Ham fail to turn their form around in the next three matches.
After three successive Premier League defeats and only one clean sheet in 2017, Bilic faces fixtures against Hull City, Arsenal and Swansea.
Another three games without a win could see West Ham’s board call time on the Croatian, who has been in charge since 2015.
The 48-year-old knows he has to halt the downward spiral soon, with the Hammers now just nine points off the Premier League’s relegation places.
The mood has changed in the past two months. The board were planning to offer Bilic a new deal next summer after the team’s rise towards the top half of the table but talks could now be shelved.
Insiders said in January that a two-year extension to keep Bilic until 2020 was on the cards, with his current contract expiring at the end of next season.
Instead, his position now looks in jeopardy. West Ham’s latest loss saw Leicester secure their first away win of the season.
Injuries to key players Winston Reid and Michail Antonio have also come at the worst possible time for Bilic.
In Bilic’s favour, since he replaced Sam Allardyce in June 2015 on a three-year contract, it is reported he has got on well with the board and meets vice-chairman Karren Brady once a month.
The Hammers still plan to spend big in the summer, with a proven goalscorer the priority. It should see them top the club- record £20.5million fee they paid Swansea for Andre Ayew last summer.
Bilic can expect little help from Diafra Sakho in the battle to keep his job.
The Senegal striker is unlikely to play again this season, having been sidelined since suffering a back injury in November which required surgery.
Sakho is back in light training but he will need a lengthy period to rebuild fitness.
Stijn Vandenbroucke, head of medical and sports science, told the club website: ‘We must be mindful that Diaf is essentially at the start of his own personal pre-season training schedule.
‘After surgery and three months of rehab, a player needs time before we can contemplate making him available for selection.’