West Ham United have ended months of speculation about the future of Gianfranco Zola by sacking him as their manager.
The Italian, who is said to be due compensation of about £3.5 million, was dismissed after meeting the Barclays Premier League side’s joint owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, yesterday.
“The board of directors would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future,” the London club said in a statement.” The club will now be focusing its efforts on seeking a replacement.”
Zola has paid the price for a campaign in which the club finished only one place above the drop zone and that prompted Sullivan to write in his programme notes on Sunday that it fell “below the expectations at the start of the season”.
Zola leaves 20 months into his tenure and only 13 months after he signed a contract extension that tied him to the club until 2013. He was rewarded for a first season in which the club played an entertaining brand of football and rose from being close to the foot of the Premier League to finish ninth.
Despite the club’s struggles in this campaign, Zola remained a popular figure and was warmly applauded by West Ham fans at Upton Park after the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in their final game of the season on Sunday. “It’s been a long, exhausting season,” he said. “Circumstances and mistakes didn’t allow us to give what we wanted to give.”
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