West Ham United have announced that manager Manuel Pellegrini has left the club.
Pellegrini departs with West Ham a place and a point above the relegation zone after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Leicester City, their fourth loss in a row at London Stadium.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |
West Ham United
WHU
|
38 | -13 | 39 |
| 17 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | -26 | 35 |
| 18 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -25 | 34 |
| 19 |
Watford
WAT
|
38 | -28 | 34 |
| 20 |
Norwich City
NOR
|
38 | -49 | 21 |
The 66-year-old Chilean joined West Ham in May 2018 and oversaw a 10th-placed finish last season.
But although they started the 2019/20 strongly, sitting fourth after Matchweek 7, West Ham's form has since dipped, with only seven points from their last 12 matches.
"It is with great disappointment that we’ve had to make this decision," joint-chairman David Sullivan said in a club statement. "Manuel is a gentleman and it has been a real pleasure to work with someone of his calibre.
"However, it has become clear that a change is required to get the Club back on track in line with our ambitions this season.
"We felt it was necessary to act now in order to give the new manager as much time as possible to try and achieve that goal."
West Ham are next in action on New Year's Day, at home to AFC Bournemouth, the team immediately above them in the table.