Harry Redknapp delivered his verdict on West Ham’s appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as manager and suggested three other candidates that he would have preferred at the club.
The former Hammers boss shared his view on the 64-year-old being in the London Stadium’s home dugout next season and shared that he wasn’t excited by the idea.
While revealing his opinion on Pellegrini, Redknapp name dropped Stuart Pearce as being someone the club could have appointed before assessing the option the Hammers did take.
“I thought he (Pellegrini) was a bit of a surprise appointment to be honest with you,” said Redknapp on BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday, as uploaded to the broadcaster’s playback service.
“We always end up looking abroad, you can’t tell me there’s not some good young managers about in the Championship, who’ve done great jobs, who do deserve an opportunity to manage.
“They even had Stuart Pearce at West Ham, who was there with David Moyes, Pearcy could have done the job no problem.
“No disrespect to Pellegrini but winning the Premier League with that squad he had at Man City, there’s every chance you’ve got of winning the Premier League.
“So one thing is for sure, if he keeps the same squad he’s got now, he’ll do very well to get in the top eight next year at West Ham.
“I don’t see it as an exciting appointment, I’ve got to be honest.”
Redknapp then moved on to suggesting a further two managers on top of his Pearce’s suggestion that he would have preferred over Pellegrini.
“West Ham is a fantastic club, but see if they could have poached Eddie Howe or Sean Dyche, there’s some great young managers in this country at the moment,” stated the former Hammers manager.
OPINION
Redknapp continued highlighting the fact that there were several younger managers, than Pellegrini, that given the tools at the Hammers, would have been good appointments. There’s no denying that logic, but the Hammers favourite is wrong to dismiss Pellegrini on so many levels. Firstly Redknapp is wrong to undermine the veteran’s ability to have won the title with Manchester City, as gelling a team made up of superstars does provide a challenge. The 71-year-old then continues to be wrong as he doesn’t take Pellegrini’s performances at other clubs into account, as he has done wonderful jobs at countless clubs across Europe. While it would have been nice to see a young manager such as Howe at the club, Pellegrini is still an exciting option. The 64-year-old will make his team play attacking football at the London Stadium next season and Redknapp will be proven wrong to doubt him. However it’s worth noting that his suggest of Pearce, who was recently at the club, instantly wiped away any credibility his opinion had.
