How West Ham feel about appointing Slaven Bilic - it could impact Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

The Croatian has been linked with a return to English football.

Nuno Espírito Santo's West Ham future is up in the air after he failed in his mission to guide the club clear of relegation from the Premier League.

The Portuguese was appointed by the Hammers in late September to replace Graham Potter, who endured a humiliating start to his first full season in East London, taking just three points from the opening five games of the campaign.

While the blame for the Irons' relegation does not rest on Nuno, he is expected to be sacked shortly, with a collective of names in the frame to replace him.

Intriguingly, one of those is former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic, who has also been linked with the vacant Blackburn Rovers hot seat.

West Ham owner David Sullivan open to Slaven Bilic return

Whether Nuno could have done anything more to keep West Ham in the Premier League remains to be seen, but he did manage to take their fate to the final day of the season.

A 3-0 victory over Leeds United was not enough as Tottenham edged out Everton 1-0 in a nervy affair to secure their top-flight status for another campaign.

Nonetheless, all the news points to a Nuno exit and there are already some significant names in the frame to take over at the London Stadium.

One of those is Bilic, who was considered before Nuno was hired, with Hammers owner David Sullivan open to the idea of the Croatian returning to East London, according to talkSPORT.

They add that the Irons are set to speak to potential replacements before making a final decision on sacking the 52-year-old.

The publication also reports that Scott Parker and Gary O'Neil are two of the leading candidates, with the former out of work having left fellow relegated side, Burnley, by mutual consent.

Bilic managed West Ham for over two years between 2015 and 2017 and has been linked with the Blackburn job, with the Croatian willing to speak to the club and interested in returning to England.

Could Bilic end up at West Ham or Blackburn?

With Bilic reportedly keen on a return to English football, West Ham and Blackburn do present viable but contrasting opportunities.

Having played and managed the Hammers, Bilic has a chance of returning to a club he knows well, but supporters may be wary about returning to a former boss.

The 57-year-old does have an encouraging Championship pedigree, having achieved promotion with West Brom in 2020 before an uninspiring spell at Watford, although it would be hard to judge the majority of former Hornets gaffers.

The Irons may be more tempted by Parker in particular, as he has multiple promotions to his name and is a former player himself, having represented the club for four years.

Bilic feels like a better and less risky appointment for Blackburn, though, as they do not possess the pulling powers of the Irons and do not have any history with the former Croatia boss.

The Croatian reportedly rejected Rovers in February as he wanted to wait until the summer to assess his options, and if he cannot land the West Ham job, then he may be tempted by the Lancashire outfit.