Four games to save his job, West Ham board hand Slaven Bilic ultimatum after shambolic start

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has been given four games to save his job.

Bilic was called to a meeting with co-owner David Sullivan the day after his team’s 3-0 defeat at Newcastle and told results and performances must improve.

West Ham remain bottom of the Premier League table, having lost three successive League matches, conceding 10 goals.

Sullivan, co-chairman David Gold and vice-chairman Karren Brady remain reluctant to make a change this early in the season, especially with West Ham having played their first three Premier League games away from home while the London Stadium is reconverted to football following the World Athletics Championships.

Three of the club’s Premier League matches in September are at home — against Huddersfield, Spurs and Swansea — and the West Ham hierarchy are looking for a significant improvement.

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez remains the favourite to succeed Bilic, who is in the final year of his contract, if the board opt for change but West Ham would need to pay Newcastle £5million to comply with the conditions of the Spaniard’s current deal.

Benitez was close to joining West Ham two years ago, following the departure of Sam Allardyce, and had agreed in principle to join the club before Real Madrid intervened and appointed him. Benitez remains grateful at the way West Ham reacted to his decision to return to Spain and that could be a factor if things come to a head at the end of next month.

There has been no further progress on West Ham’s attempts to sign William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon. The clubs remain £5m apart on their valuation of the player, with Sporting wanting £38m for the Portugal midfielder. Monaco meanwhile, could make a late move for Carvalho before the transfer window closes on Thursday.

West Ham’s midfield star Manuel Lanzini has withdrawn from the Argentina squad with a knee injury.