Three Managerial Changes That Could Happen At The End Of This Premier League Season
The end of the ongoing season of the Premier League is almost upon us. With just the last round of fixtures left to be played, the Champions have been crowned and the relegated clubs have been confirmed. So there isn’t a whole lot at stake for most of the clubs, except for Arsenal and Liverpool as they look to seal the final Champions League spot.
As has happened almost every year in the close season, the managerial merry-go-round is set to kick off, as several managers find themselves in hot waters and could lose their jobs, having failed to meet the minimum targets for their club. There have been 6 managerial changes already in the top flight this season.
And here are three more candidates that are most likely to join the list come the end of the season:
Slaven Bilic – West Ham United
After leading the Hammers to a 7th-placed finish last time around, Slaven Bilic has failed to achieve similar heights with this time around.
West Ham United find themselves at 12th position in the league standings – surely not where the club would’ve wanted to end up at the beginning of the season. Their UEFA Europa League venture too failed spectacularly in what has been a season full of inconsistencies as Bilic has continuously struggled to find his best playing XI.
He wasn’t helped by a very abysmal transfer window, with all his new signings struggling to hit the ground running, which has left him in a precarious position. Just 2 wins in the last 10 league games don’t make for good reading at all. West Ham’s final game against Burnley could well define his future at the club.
Claude Puel – Southampton
While it may not be considered a poor season for Southampton by any measures, the club, and the fans have gotten used to overachieving in the recent years under Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino.
The Saints currently sit 8th in the league standings, two rungs lower than their 6th-placed finish last time around. They even made it to the finals of the EFL Cup, only to painfully lose to Manchester United. Puel has managed to get his players playing good football and hasn’t done a bad job in his debut season in England by any means. However, a two-place drop in the table, with almost a 20 point gap between the two tallies from last season and this season may lead to the club considering his future.
Marco Silva – Hull City
This one will be more of the manager leaving the club, rather than the club getting rid of the manager as Marco Silva has done a brilliant job since taking over at Hull City in January.
The Portuguese boss may have failed to save Hull from relegation, but he came so very close to achieving it after injecting a new found confidence in the club since taking over. All his new signings in January clicked, and he managed to get some major results with wins over the likes of Liverpool (league) and Manchester United (EFL Cup).
The club has made it abundantly clear that they want Silva at the helm for the next season, but the manager has not committed his future to the club, leaving the door open for an exit. With the job at Watford opening up and a place at West Ham United also likely to be vacant, he is expected to be in demand this summer.
