West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has backed manager Manuel Pellegrini to inspire a turnaround in the club’s form despite growing speculation about the Chilean’s future.

The Hammers have not won in their last seven games and currently sit 17th in the league, ahead of today’s game against Chelsea, and Brady thinks both Pellegrini and his squad have what it takes to improve results:

“Manuel Pellegrini is a proven winner in this league with an unshakable determination. Everyone is behind him to bring about a change of fortunes and we all know he and the team are capable of doing just that.”

“We have a strong squad having invested £200million in the past 18 months and have proved, not that long ago, that we can beat any team on our day.”

Brady’s vote of confidence may only be temporary, though, if West Ham’s form doesn’t improve quickly. There are reports that Pellegrini will be sacked unless he gets results in the club’s next two fixtures.

As Brady says, the Hammers have invested a sizeable sum in this squad, and if there is a change of manager, it would be an admission that they failed to get the right man when they appointed Pellegrini just over 18 months ago.

There is even speculation that the Irons may opt to go back to a former manager in David Moyes, while the likes of Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe and Burnley’s Sean Dyche have also been mentioned.