Marcelo Bielsa's odds slashed in betting for the West Ham job

Marcelo Bielsa has emerged as a surprise candidate in the Next West Ham Manager Market. The Marseille boss, who is widely expected to leave the Ligue 1 side this summer after his contract expired, has put the Hammers on red alert after reportedly stating his interest in managing in the Premier League for the first time.

Bielsa was a whopping 40/1 long shot (Bet365) as recently as Tuesday, however his odds have since been slashed to as low as 8/1 (Sky Bet), as he emerges as a major candidate to replace Sam Allardyce.

Bielsa steered Marseille to 4th spot in Ligue 1 last term, with his troops agonisingly missing out on qualification through to next season's Champions League, despite winning their final four matches of the season. A failure to pick up a single point in April ultimately cost the south of France side (L4), who finished behind PSG, Lyon and Monaco.

The experienced Argentine football coach has also previously managed his country, along with Chile, and the La Liga duo of Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol. Managerial highlights include leading Argentina to Olympic Games glory in 2004, and steering an exciting new Chile side through to the 2010 World Cup, for which he won numerous plaudits. Meanwhile, the 59-year-old had to settle for runners-up medals in both the Europa League and Copa del Rey during his time at Athletic.

Another mover in the market is the now out-of-work Roberto Di Matteo, whose odds have been shredded from 16/1 down to 9/2 (Bet365) following his decision to resign from his post at Schalke.

However, frontrunner Slaven Bilic remains the favourite for the post, although the Serb is no longer odds-on with all bookmakers, with Sky Bet pricing the former Hammers player at 6/5.

Meanwhile, the Irons' hopes of luring Rafa Benitez (now 33/1) to Upton Park appear to be all but over, as the Spaniard is expected to be named as the new Real Madrid manager, following Carlo Ancelotti's sacking.