Slaven Bilic has confirmed he will leave Besiktas at the end of the season, a decision which is likely to see the former West Ham defender linked even stronger with a return to the east London club as a replacement for Sam Allardyce.
“I won’t be Besiktas’ manager next season. I’m proud of what I’ve done here,” Bilic said after Sunday’s 2-0 derby loss to Galatasaray which saw Besiktas miss out on Champions League qualification. “As I said before, I am the first one who is going to take responsibility for not winning the league for two years. I have already made my decision.”
The former Croatia international made more than 40 appearances for West Ham after joining them in 1996 and became a favourite among the club’s supporters.
Allardyce left West Ham on Sunday following their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, immediately after which the club released a statement confirming they would not renew his contract.