It wasn’t the most surprising piece of breaking news in the world but Monday signalled the end of Slaven Bilic’s reign at the helm of West Ham after a turbulent beginning to their 2017-18 campaign.

The Hammers have just two wins next to their name after the opening 11 games of the Premier League season, leaving them precariously placed just a single point outside of the relegation spots.

It seems that the bell has been tolling for Bilic almost since the beginning of the season, where his side went four league matches without scoring or picking up a point, and following the dismal 4-1 demolition at the hands of Liverpool on Saturday night it seemed just a matter of time before the owners took action.

But whilst it brings an end to the Croat’s two-and-a-half-year spell in charge, it opens a door for a new manager to make his stamp on this crop of players – offering the chance for them to impress.

With starting roles soon to be up for grabs, who could be worth an outside Draft Fantasy pick?

Manuel Lanzini

 

Part of the reason as to why West Ham have struggled for goals in the opening part of the season has been because of the absence of Manuel Lanzini, one of the Hammers’ critical creative outlets.

The tricky Argentinian has proven to be one of West Ham’s best players since his arrival in the summer of 2015, cementing his position as one of the London side’s best attacking midfield options over the past two seasons, and his injury at the start of the year came as a big blow for boss Bilic.

Whilst he’s been gradually feeling his way back into the tempo of Premier League football since his return at the end of September he was one of very few positives to come from Saturday evening’s thrashing against Jurgen Klopp’s men and it bodes well for the rest of the campaign ahead.

The 24-year-old is a livewire in the middle of the park, always looking to find space between the opposition defence and midfield lines, and more often than not he’s able to create opportunities.

Since his return he’s already created eight chances – as well as scoring his first of the season with a delicate finish at the weekend – which is the highest chance per game ratio of anyone at West Ham.

As his match fitness grows he’s only going to have more of an impact on games, and with the Iron having fixtures against fellow strugglers Leicester City and Everton to come following the international break, Lanzini could be a surprise asset – and largely unselected option – in the game.

Marko Arnautovic

Arriving from Stoke City in the summer as West Ham’s club record signing for a fee of around £25million, the supporters around the London Stadium had high expectations for Marko Arnautovic.

Yet the Austrian international has merely contributed one disappointing display after another up until now, struggling to re-find the sort of form that pricked the attention of Bilic in the first place.

His needless dismissal against Southampton earlier in the year has perhaps summarised his start to life at West Ham, with the midfielder trying to put himself about too much and lashing out with frustration at his lack of telling impact on the field, but a managerial change could be the tonic he needs.

The 28-year-old is yet to score or yield an assist across seven Premier League outings so far this season – earning him just nine Draft Fantasy points – which is a far cry from his sparkling form for Stoke last time out where he ended the campaign with his best ever tally of six goals and five assists.

Whilst things failed to click under Bilic, a managerial breath of fresh air could be what Arnautovic needs to work his way back to that sort of form, and he could be worth an outside punt for your bench.

Javier Hernandez

By any stretch of the imagination, it has been a frustrating period for the Mexican.

He would have had fond memories of the Premier League after his title-winning exploits with Manchester United and, given the chance to return to England by Bilic, he understandably jumped at the chance.

Yet it hasn’t quite been as blissful as his time at Old Trafford to date, finding it hard to bear the full burden of West Ham’s goal-scoring responsibilities and cutting a frustrated figure a number of times.

Too often Bilic deployed him out of position to try and fit Andy Carroll into the side in his usual central role, pushing the Mexican onto the wing into a position that he’s not accustomed to and isn’t tactically aware of, and as a result Hernandez has found it testing to find the target consistently.

Even when he has been utilised as the main striker – playing to his strength of a penalty area marksman – the lack of impetus from the midfield has left him devoid of any real quality service.

In spite of this, he has still managed to score four times in 905 minutes of top-flight action, being West Ham’s top goal-scorer and contributing just less than half of their overall tally (11) after 11 matches, and his 18 efforts attempted is the highest number out of any of his Hammers teammates.

Any incoming manager should know that he’s most potent in the striking role on the shoulder of defenders – after all, each of his 41 Premier League goals to date have come from inside of the penalty area – and he should be given a chance to add to his tally for the year from his more natural role.