Zola had initially been expected to appoint
colleague Pierluigi Casiraghi, another former Chelsea player and
joint-coach of Italy's under-21s, but Casiraghi has since rejected
suggestions that he will join Zola at Upton Park. He said: "If
Gianfranco decides to go to England, I will lose a great coach and
more importantly, a true friend. But I don't want to leave this
national team."
Focus has since shifted to Clarke. West Ham advisor Kia
Joorabchian confirmed that Zola's close relationship with the Scot,
coupled with Clarke's solid experience of Premier League football
gleaned from serving under Jose Mourinho and Scolari, have made him
a leading contender.
"They are looking for assistants," he said. "Gianfranco
has a very close relationship with one particular person, Steve
Clarke. They are very close and they feel his experience in the
Premier League, working under very big coaches at Chelsea, has
given him a lot of experience."
He added: "He is more defensively minded than
Gianfranco so he brings good balance. I think that is what he is
going for." There is some concern over Clarke's wage demands,
however, with West Ham considered unlikely to be able to match
Chelsea's pay packages.