5 realistic replacements for Slaven Bilic at West Ham United

#4 Nigel Pearson

Nigel Pearson put the pieces into place for Leicester's remarkable Premier League win

Okay, so Pearson isn’t technically available right now as he’s managing Belgian second division side OH Leuven, but let’s be frank, if a side like West Ham came in for him there’s no question he’d probably jump at the opportunity to have another crack at Premier League success. And despite some controversial moments in his managerial career, few would try to argue that Pearson doesn’t warrant another go-around.

While he hasn’t won any top-level trophies as a manager, his achievements during his two runs at Leicester City suggest he’s a very good manager – 2008/09 saw them win League One at a canter, racking up a ludicrous tally of 96 points, and he only left the club initially due to a toxic relationship with then-chairman Milan Mandaric.

When he returned to the Foxes in November 2011 he immediately improved their form, and by 2013/14 he’d led them to the Championship title and back into the Premier League.

Leicester fired Pearson with some controversy in the summer of 2015, but it’s been claimed by many that he laid the pieces into place for their remarkable 2015/16 Premier League win – after all, it was Pearson who signed the likes of Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, the players who starred in that title-winning season. Since leaving Leicester, the only job in England Pearson has taken was a strange one at Derby County that ended with him being fired after disagreements with their chairman over the use of drones during training.

With West Ham’s executives David Sullivan and David Gold being controversial characters themselves, appointing a man like Pearson who quite often courts controversy would be risky for sure, but could he do a good job at the London Stadium? Judging by his record, it’s likely.