Gianfranco Zola was last night left in fear for his job as West Ham boss.
Former Birmingham owners David Gold and David Sullivan want to bring in their own man if they complete their takeover at Upton Park.
And last night bookies made Zola odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job as Gold and Sullivan closed in on their £50m buy-out of the club.
Gold and Sullivan are believed to be eyeing up former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes as a potential new manager.
And cruelly, Gold and Sullivan have pledged to pump £20m into the club for new players during the January transfer window.
It means Zola could be ousted and then see his successor be gifted a transfer kitty to turn the club’s fortunes around.
There was a rush of money on Zola losing his job last night as he succeeded Liverpool’s under-fire Rafa Benitez as favourite in the sack race.
Sky Bet’s football betting spokesman Dale Tempest said: “Zola has done a fantastic job at West Ham so it was a surprise to see money for him to lose his job, but then with new owners on the horizon, anything could happen.”
It will be a desperate blow for Zola after West Ham’s battling draw at Aston Villa on Sunday lifted the club out of the relegation zone.
Zola has been in charge at West Ham since September 2008 after succeeding Alan Curbishley. Last season, Zola guided the club to safety.
But this season, the club’s ownership has proved to be a distraction on the pitch and West Ham have struggled as their Icelandic owners desperately tried to offload the club.
Gold and Sullivan believe they are close to completing a deal for the club after lodging a £50m offer for a controlling stake with a further buy-out option.
They have been competing with Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes who is believed to be ready to stick with Zola.
There has also been interest from Cagliari president Massimo Cellino and finance company Intermarket Group and Zola knows that Fernandes would have been his best chance of survival.
Zola has admitted that he has considered quitting in the past because of the uncertainty at the club amid their troubled season.
But Zola has already insisted that he does not fear a new owner taking over as he faced up to the prospect of them wanting to bring in their new man.
Zola said: “The new owners may not want to speak to me. I think I can do this job well and that is enough, but I have to prove it to everybody else, every day.
“For me, the pitch speaks. If what I am doing isn’t good enough then it is right they change me. The sack is not a fear for me at all.”
However, the writing is on the wall for Zola with Gold and Sullivan who would prefer a more experienced pair of hands to steer the club away from danger.
But West Ham will now have money to spend and also will be hoping to keep their prize assets - including Scott Parker, Matt Upson, Rob Green and Carlton Cole - in their battle to beat the drop.
Upson and Parker have been targets for Tottenham while Arsenal looked at Cole before being put off by his persistent knee injuries.
West Ham do, however, boast three regular England internationals and any manager would be confident of keeping the club in the Premier League if the ownership issues are resolved.
Sadly for Zola, it does not look as if Gold and Sullivan are ready to give him extra time if their deal gets the green light.
Meanwhile, Green has insisted he is determined to build on his impressive clean sheet at Villa Park on Sunday as he celebrated his 30th birthday a day early in real style.
England keeper Green, who turned 30 yesterday, said: “All of a sudden it’s time for me to start living up to my potential now I’m 30! As a goalkeeper, they say you reach you’re prime at 32 or 33 so I’ve got a bit of improving to do.”
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... issa-satta
GARY NEVILLE insists Manchester United were right to get rid of Carlos Tevez because he was overpriced.
The Reds balked at a £25million asking price after the Argentine had spent two years on loan at Old Trafford.
Now the striker, 25, is in red-hot form for rivals Manchester City and they meet tonight at Eastlands in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-finals.
But United's club captain agreed with boss Alex Ferguson that at the end of last season the figures just did not stack up.
Neville said: "The manager over the years has made many decisions with regard to players coming and going - and he has almost always been proved correct.
"Over a period of 20 years he may have got one or two wrong, and I think he has admitted that himself, but he knows exactly what he's doing and he understands when a player's time is up. I can't disagree with his decision on Tevez. He was a good player for us but, if the financial demands are too big, then that's just the way it goes.
"Other good players have left this club in the past, it's not the first time it's happened.
"We have the best manager in the world at putting teams together. He's done it successfully for 20 years. There have not been many people who have questioned him over the years and been proved right."
Tevez has 11 goals in his last nine starts and will be desperate to add to that tally tonight in one of the biggest clashes between the city rivals for many years.
Neville admitted: "Our two Carling Cup games against City are massive. It's a derby and one of the biggest games we have played against City for a long time.
"Certainly we expect it to be a difficult game. They are in good form and it's always difficult away against City. We will have to be at our best for the game.
"I've only seen one of City's games since Roberto Mancini took over as manager - their 3-0 win at Wolves. City impressed me in that game but I haven't seen a great deal of them."
United full-back Patrice Evra dismisses the rivalry with City, claiming that while it's a big game for the blue half of Manchester it is just another match for the red half.
He said: "It's an important game against City, a big game, but I only talk about it because I want to win this game and have a chance to win a trophy.
"Maybe that's the difference between United and City. We play the game to win and to win the Carling Cup, they play to win against Manchester United."
While United struggle under crippling debt, City can boast being the richest club in the world under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour.
But Neville says there is no paranoia at Old Trafford over City's increased strength.
He said: "I don't see the game as a chance to reassert our dominance over City.
"We're quite comfortable with where we are. We are second in the league, in the Carling Cup semi-finals and in the second phase of the Champions League.
"People might think something is going on in Manchester between the two clubs, but we can't afford to get involved in that."
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is in talks with Real Madrid with a view to signing former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy on loan.Daily Mail
And Redknapp has had a bid for out-of-favour goalkeeper Ben Foster rejected by Manchester United. Daily Mirror
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is ready to quit the club he joined as a nine-year-old two decades ago. Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan and Premier League big spenders Manchester City are believed to be interested in a deal.Daily Mail
Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford is planning to leave the League One club in the summer for a move to Everton.
Daily Mirror
Liverpool star Fernando Torres has urged the club to buy a top Spanish striker - such as Valencia's David Silva or David Villa - while under-fire Reds boss Rafael Benitez is pondering a £12m bid for Sunderland forward Kenwyne Jones.The Sun
However, Benitez's attempt to sign Jones has hit the rocks as Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is holding out for a £10m cash deal.Daily Express
French side Lille want to sign Portsmouth defender Younes Kaboul for £10m, with cash-strapped Pompey willing to accept the offer.Daily Mirror
Zenit St Petersburg say they have pulled out of the race to sign Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.The Guardian
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is ready to splash out on Fulham's England under-21 giant centre-half Chris Smalling - in a stunning £7m deal. Daily Mirror
Birmingham City have been told they can have Celtic winger Aiden McGeady, if they match the asking price.The Sun
Crystal Palace striker Victor Moses has revealed he cannot wait for his crack at the big time as his inevitable exit from the Londoners draws closer.Daily Mail
Burnley are speaking to Monaco striker Frederic Nimani, and could sign the French Under-21 international on loan.
Daily Mirror
OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea are trying to get injured midfielder Michael Essien back to London from the Africa Cup of Nations amid fears that the Ghanaian's season could be over.Daily Mirror
Barcelona have shrugged off claims that coach Pep Guardiola will replace Sir Alex Ferguson as the next manager of Manchester United. The Sun
Former United winger David Beckham has told City's fans that they will never be bigger than the Old Trafford club. He also said that he would never join City, no matter how much money they offered him.
Daily Mirror - Good, fuck off!
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