Roberto di Matteo (Picture: Getty)

With time running out for the 2014-15 season, the general feeling amongst West Ham watchers is that time will also soon be up for Sam Allardyce.

The manager’s contract expires at the end of a campaign which once held so much promise but now seems destined to end in huge disappointment, meaning it looks like Allardyce may miss out on taking the one giant leap for Hammerkind that will be summer 2016’s move to the Olympic Stadium.

This rips open the can of worms about who should replace him. Names bandied around so far (with varying degrees of believability) include David Moyes, Rafael Benitez, Glenn Hoddle and Slaven Bilic, but there is one name curiously absent from contention who would seem to be an ideal candidate. That name? Roberto di Matteo.



West Ham’s previous managerial acquisition from Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola, was hardly a great success – good bloke, but out of his depth. Di Matteo shares Zola’s Italian nationality, club background and nice guy status – but unlike the Sardinian, the current boss of Bundesliga side Schalke is the proven real deal as a manager. Here’s why he could be the answer to West Ham’s prayers.


1) Success. A cabinet full of playing honours may not have helped Zola manage, but Di Matteo has been there, done it all both on the pitch and in the dugout. So far every team he has managed have achieved. At MK Dons (note the lower league start to learn his craft, rather than walking into a top job – always a good sign) he took the team to the play-off semi-finals, losing out on penalties. At West Brom, the Baggies eased to promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking. At Chelsea, he won the FA Cup and Champions League. Although Schalke are out of this season’s Champions League, they went down fighting with a 4-3 win at reigning champions Real Madrid.

2) Experience. A background in the Premier League is a pre-requisite for any potential Allardyce replacement. Di Matteo has it in spades – six years of it playing in it, and having managed two clubs in it.

3) Culture. Despite their distant birthplaces, when it comes to England, Moyes and Benitez are north-westerners at heart. Much of Hoddle’s time in recent years has been spent on his Spanish academy. Bilic’s brief flirtation with English football was nearly 20 years ago. Although currently based in Germany, former Italian international Di Matteo played and managed in England for 16 years – mainly in or close to London – has an English wife, and two of his children were born here. Settling would hardly be a problem.

4) Ambition. Schalke are continuous knockers on the door of both Germany’s and Europe’s elite, but without ever threatening to gain full admittance, and with next season’s Champions League looking to be out of reach, that glass ceiling looks as thick as ever. But for an ambitious 44-year-old, the opportunity to help West Ham gatecrash the top table as part of the stadium move could prove tempting.

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