West Ham United hope to introduce Gianfranco Zola as their first foreign manager this afternoon after the Italian agreed a three-year contract with the Upton Park club and was released from his duties with Italy's Under-21s.
Zola is to fly to London this morning after his lawyer agreed personal terms on his behalf. He will sign the deal having been reassured that his close connections with Chelsea will not prevent him gaining acceptance, and he will be in the stands for Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion. The caretaker Kevin Keen - who will be retained - will pick the side for that one.
The 42-year-old Zola, formerly with Cagliari, Parma and Napoli, was recently voted Chelsea's greatest ever player by supporters after spending seven years at the club. He is still exploring the possibility of bringing Chelsea's current first-team coach Steve Clarke to Upton Park as his No2, although the Scot is wary that he may not be welcomed quite as eagerly in east London.
Confirmation of Zola's arrival completes a speedy and satisfactory selection process undertaken by the board since Alan Curbishley resigned a little over a week ago. The club's initial seven-man shortlist was whittled down, not least when it became clear that they would be unable to lure Slaven Bilic from his role with the Croatian Football Association as national team manager.
Interviews were conducted by the technical director, Gianluca Nani, and the chief executive, Scott Duxbury, last week and over the weekend. Roberto Donadoni and Zola stood out and Zola emerged as first choice, prompting Donadoni, Italy's coach at Euro 2008, to pull out on Tuesday.
West Ham's chairman, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, is acutely aware that Zola has not managed at club level. The Italian has vast experience of the Premier League, however, and has pledged to play attack-minded football. His command of English was also a factor and his work with Italy's junior setup satisfies the board's demand that the manager should have a commitment to developing young players.
Pierluigi Casiraghi, another former Chelsea player, has ruled himself out of a role assisting Zola at West Ham having confirmed he intends to remain with Italy's Under-21s for the European championship next summer. "I will lose a great coach and a true friend," he said. "But I don't want to leave this national team."
