• Avram Grant set to be unveiled by West Ham on Wednesday
• Gianfranco Zola thought to be close to settlement over payoff
West Ham United are set to appoint Avram Grant as their new manager on Wednesday and the Premier League club hope to have agreed amicable settlements with Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke by the time the Israeli is unveiled at Upton Park next week.
Zola was deeply upset with the manner of his dismissal after he was accused of a breach of contract and the Italian decided to take legal action over his departure. The Premier League was due to set a date for an arbitration hearing over Zola’s payoff – he was earning £1.9m a year with three years of his contract to run but did not receive a settlement. However, it is understood that both parties are now close to reaching an agreement that will obviate the need for matters to be taken further. That development will come as a relief to West Ham, given the negative publicity that their actions risked.
Clarke’s exit was effectively rubberstamped when West Ham opted to turn to Grant as their new manager. The two worked together at Chelsea, following José Mourinho’s dismissal in 2007, but Grant is keen to bring in his own assistant manager, leaving Clarke to thrash out the terms of his payoff. Those discussions have now taken place and an agreement has been reached on how much Clarke, who was earning £1.2m a year, should receive as a settlement.
Grant is set to sign a three-year contract to replace Zola. His name had featured prominently on the original shortlist that David Sullivan and David Gold, West Ham’s co-owners, drew up in the wake of Zola’s sacking, and his resignation as manager of Portsmouth nine days ago paved the way for him to take over. Portsmouth have not demanded any compensation for Grant who led the club to the FA Cup final last season.
West Ham UnitedAvram GrantGianfranco ZolaStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk
