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Graham Potter may not have much time left as West Ham United manager.
On Saturday, the Hammers were dealt a 2-1 defeat by rivals Crystal Palace at the London Stadium. It is Potter's fourth loss out of five in the Premier League this season.
With results not improving, his side sit in the relegation places at this early stage. They have just three points from a surprise 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last month and a goal difference of minus eight.
West Ham were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the second round stage by bottom of the Premier League Wolves – their only victory all season.
Therefore Potter is already under pressure of being sacked. Hammers chiefs are said to have started discussions over who they could recruit in the 50-year-old's place.
To paint just how bleak the picture is for the former Chelsea and Brighton boss, bookmaker William Hill say he faces a 75 per cent chance of being the next Premier League manager given the boot.
A spokesperson said: "Following another damaging loss for West Ham, Graham Potter is the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave. A 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace puts him firmly in front at 1/3, with the results and noise around the club putting him under the most immediate pressure.
"Ruben Amorim is the nearest challenger to Potter at 11/4. The reds scraped by with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford against 10-man Chelsea and he looks safe for now. A loss at home for Wolves sees manager Vitor Pereira 9/2 to be the next to go."
BBC Sport say that even before their latest negative result, the Hammers were considering alternatives. Two are more prevalent than the rest.
There is Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked by Nottingham Forest during the international break. The 51-year-old led the Midlands club to Europa League qualification after taking over part way into last season.
Following on, the prospect of Slaven Bilic's return is claimed to have been discussed internally. The 57-year-old was in charge between 2015 and 2017 and guided the team to a seventh-placed finish at the first time of asking. He also played for the club in 1996/97.
Besides the two early strong contenders, the availability of former Bournemouth and Wolves boss Gary O'Neil is also said to have been taken note of.
The Guardian say the West Ham board have not made a final decision but the pressure is certainly on Potter to turn things around. The mood at the London Stadium has 'grown mutinous' from home supporters on Saturday.
Asked if he felt the support of the board after the latest defeat, Potter answered: "Yeah, I have no reason to think not but I also understand the environment and the results.
"I have no complaints at all with the support that we’ve had and the support from the supporters and everyone at the club.
"Do I believe I can turn it around? Of course. I also understand it’s tough. We’re in a tough situation, there’s no getting away from that.
"The only thing you can do is front it up, be honest with it. We want to do better than we are and at the moment we’re not."
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