Hammers legend Paolo Di Canio declared to fans that it is his dream to manage West Ham during an event over the weekend.
Paolo Di Canio goes down as one of – if not the – best players in West Ham’s modern history.
Certainly of the Premier League era.
Di Canio played for a host of top clubs during his career.
But it was West Ham where Di Canio truly made his name, though.
He left an ever-lasting impression on the Hammers. And the same was true of the club on the Italian – who sports a West Ham tattoo on his arm.
The fiery Italian showed he has the skills to get results as a manager too. He is considered a legend at Swindon after leading them to promotion to League One.
Di Canio says West Ham is only club he wants to manage
And he spent six months in charge of then Premier League club Sunderland back in 2013 where he managed to save them from relegation.
Speaking at an event for West Ham fans over the weekend, Di Canio said he’d love to manage West Ham one day.
“West Ham would be perfect. For me, the only club I could choose (to manage),” Di Canio said at the event, as recorded in a video posted by West Ham insider Sean Whetstone.
“But if it’s not possible at West Ham, maybe I would go to a different place, and then work my way towards (West Ham). Then take them to Wembley and the FA Cup, Come on you Irons!”
With the future of David Moyes far from certain beyond this summer, the comments were certainly interesting.
But David Sullivan has already made his feelings clear on Di Canio managing West Ham.
Sullivan made Di Canio stance clear in 2013
And the Hammers’ majority owner declared back in 2013 he could never employ the legendary forward as manager.
Speaking to The Independent at the time, Sullivan said Di Canio’s political stance and links to a fascist Lazio fan group means he could not hire him for the West Ham job.
“Fascism is always intolerable but managers, like owners, have an additional duty to the wider community,” said Sullivan.
“That is why, despite having once considered him a future manager of West Ham, my partner David Gold and I wouldn’t do so now — unless he renounced his extreme views.
“Paolo di Canio is in the top rank of West Ham legends. He has been a tremendous supporter of the club for years and, whenever I’ve met him, struck me as charming, intelligent and what you might call Italian in the extreme. For all these reasons, I find it very hard to criticise him — but harder still to swallow the events of this week. Put simply, Paolo should not be managing a club until he has convincingly renounced fascism.”
Di Canio denial did not convince Hammers chief
Di Canio did issue a statement insisting he does not support ideology of fascism.
But Sullivan added: “The statement he issued was, if not too late, certainly too broad. Until he provides a clear refutation of his previous position, we’ll have to assume he thinks fascism and football can get along. Sunderland should not have appointed him manager.”
Whether Sullivan’s stance has softened we don’t know. But it seems safe to say that even if Di Canio were to prove himself again elsewhere and become a genuine contender for the West Ham job in the future, he would not be considered on Sullivan’s watch.
Di Canio played alongside some top stars during his time at West Ham.
And he named a cult hero as the West Ham teammate he respected most.
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