Looking down: Bilic who led the club to 11th place last season

West Ham United’s proposed club-record move for William Carvalho has been placed in jeopardy by their poor early-season form, coupled with growing concerns over Slaven Bilic’s abilities as manager. Their 3-0 defeat at Newcastle left West Ham bottom of the Premier League table without a point after the opening three fixtures.

Bilic, who led the club to 11th place in their debut campaign at the London stadium, has overseen a run of three wins in 17 Premier League games dating back to February. That woeful run is understood to have led West Ham’s owners to reconsider the proposed investment in Portugal midfielder Carvalho.

Sporting rejected a first offer earlier this month and have asked West Ham to increase their bid by about £4m, to £38m.