The former Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola is expected to be named as the new manager of West Ham United today and could be in charge of the team for this Saturday's Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion. Following a series of interviews, Zola emerged as the leading candidate as officials at West Ham attempted to find a quick replacement for former manager Alan Curbishley, who resigned last week, in an attempt to minimise the impact on the team at the start of the new season.
Zola was one of two Italians shortlisted for the job along with compatriot Roberto Donadoni, the former coach of the Italian national team. Donadoni, however, yesterday withdrew from the running. Zola's appointment, however, is unlikely to go down well with West Ham's London rivals Chelsea, whose supporters view Zola as one of the club's best and most popular players. According to reports, Zola, 42, has indicated that he wants the Upton Park job and that he would like to be in charge of the team ahead of this weekend's Premier League match.
West Ham's technical director, Gianluca Nani, who is also Italian, and chief executive Scott Duxbury have carried out interviews for the new manager's post and more than 30 candidates are believed to have applied. While Zola lacks top-level club management experience, he has spent the past three years working alongside Pierluigi Casiraghi, the coach of Italy's Under-21 team. The Italian FA have already indicated they would not stand in the former striker's way.
Despite being linked with a number of managerial positions, including that at Chelsea, Zola has stated that he wanted to learn his trade as a coach before taking over the reins at a high- profile club. West Ham represent an excellent opportunity for Zola to develop his managerial skills, particularly as the club have ambitions this season of securing a place in Europe or enjoying a successful cup run, following a 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
@Email:vchaudhary@thenational.ae