West Ham United are reportedly considering Manuel Pellegrini's future as manager following their 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Saturday's reverse was the Hammers' fifth in their last seven league games, a winless run that has seen them slump to 16th in the Premier League table.

While it is thought that the club want to give the 66-year-old, who is the highest-paid manager in West Ham history, more time to turn things round, there is a sense that he does not grasp the reality of their current situation, leading the board to consider his future.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the East London club do not want to get drawn into a relegation battle in the second half of the season and as such they are contemplating ending the Chilean's contract 19 months early.

It is believed that West Ham's next three games against Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal will be crucial in determining whether it is the former Manchester City boss that is in charge of the club heading into the new year.

However, the report does also suggest that the absence of some key first-team players, most notably goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, could be a mitigating factor in the board's decisions about Pellegrini's future.