Southampton boss Alan Pardew is being linked with a return to West Ham United.

The Daily Express says if the Hammers are relegated, Pardew will be considered for an emotional return to the club. He spent three years there, taking them into the Premier League and the FA Cup final, before being sacked in December 2006.

Pardew still has a year of his contract to run at Southampton, but he has an uneasy relationship with Swiss executive chairman Nicola Cortese, who has criticised results even though the club started with a 10-point penalty and won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Pardew, who has also been linked with Celtic, has ,never made any secret of his desire to go back to West Ham, but some decision-makers would need convincing that reappointing a former boss would be the right move.