West Ham have just announced that they have terminated the contract of manager Gianfranco Zola with immediate effect – the future of his assistant Steve Clarke is yet to be confirmed.

The Hammer’s board have issued the following statement via the club’s official website;

“The Board of Directors would like to thank [Zola] for his contribution and wish him well for the future. The club will now be focusing its efforts on seeking a replacement.”

Zola’s men had to endure a torrid season last term, managing just seven home wins in a traumatic campaign that saw them having to stave off the perpetual threat of relegation, mounting financial problems and near-constant public criticism from the club’s newly installed co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan.

The race to find a new manager is now on for the West Ham heirarchy, with Portsmouth boss Avram Grant firmly installed as the bookie’s favourite to take the newly-vacated helm at Upton Park.