West Ham have held “positive talks” with Shakhtar Donetsk manger Paulo Fonseca as the club go in search for a successor to David Moyes, according to the Daily Mirror.
The newspaper claims that the 45-year-old jetted into Luton on Monday and held a 75-minute meeting with Hammers co-owner David Sullivan in his home.
It is understood that Fonseca also found time to view a luxury one bedroom property after his positive discussions.
However, the report details that West Ham are in a tug-of-war if they want to appoint him at the London Stadium, as his current club Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar want to tie him down to a “lucrative deal”.
West Ham will have to move quickly to try land Fonseca, but first they plan to meet with Unai Emery following his imminent departure from Paris Saint-Germain.
OPINION
West Ham appear to be moving on quickly to try appoint their next manager and Fonseca could be a great fit for them if given the right tools. He is renowned for playing an attractive brand of football and has received high praise during his time with Shakthar. However, it would be a completely different world if he was thrown in at the London Stadium and the pressure would be immense. The Hammers would need to be patient with him as he adapts to the Premier League, but it’s clear that long-term appointments in management are very rare nowadays. West Ham have a brilliant platform to become European regulars in the coming years with the right man at the helm and Fonseca may be worth a gamble. They are also lining up talks with Emery this week, but the report states time is running out if they want to land the highly-rated Shakthar boss.
