It’s only a handful of days until the next round of Premier League fixtures resume, and it sounds as though the Hammers and Magpies are stepping up the chase for a new gaffer. Unfortunately, they both seem to be going for the same candidate, someone’s going to be disappointed!
The Guardian report that West Ham are in pole position as far as recruiting Gianfranco Zola is concerned. Rather than hang about for Slaven Bilic to play his cards, it sounds as though the east end club are ready to try and land the ex-Chelsea forward as Curbishley’s replacement.
West Ham will seek to outflank Newcastle today by offering their vacant managerial position to Gianfranco Zola, having admitted that the Croatia coach, Slaven Bilic, is no longer under consideration for the role at Upton Park.
Zola has emerged as the London club’s preferred candidate ahead of the former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni and, with personal terms having effectively been agreed, confirmation of his appointment as West Ham’s first foreign manager could be made later today. Indeed, the club are already drawing up tentative plans to unveil the 42-year-old at the Boleyn Ground as early as Thursday ahead of the weekend trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Let’s hope that the club gave the Italian assurances about transfer dealings, so that there won’t be any more ‘breaches of trust’ at the Boleyn Ground. Although Zola has been managing Italy Under-21’s, would this appointment still be a bit risky, considering that he’s never managed at club level? Would Newcastle supporters like him at the helm on Tyneside?