West Ham to unveil new manager 'within 48 hours'

West Ham hope to make an announcement on their new manager "within the next 48 hours".

The Irons appear close to appointing a successor to Sam Allardyce, who left Upton Park at the end of the season when his contract was not renewed.

Bilic is reported to have been interviewed about the vacancy over the weekend, with the likes of Rafael Benitez, Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti and Unai Emery all said to have been under consideration as co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold look to find the right man to take them forwards and on into the Olympic Stadium from 2016/17.

On Monday afternoon, the club's official website carried a statement which read: "West Ham United's search for a new manager looks to be entering its final stages, with the club hoping to make an announcement within the next 48 hours.

"The board cleared their diaries and spent the weekend meeting and interviewing applicants and, with the shortlist now narrowed down, talks are entering an advanced stage with the favoured candidates."

Gold has indicated the club were determined to "bring in an established manager who has been there and done it".

Bilic has coached at international level with Croatia and also in Europe with Besiktas as well as at Lokomotiv Moscow.

Marcelo Bielsa of Marseille is another said to be on the Irons' radar.Bilic would certainly go down well with supporters, having become a cult hero during a brief spell at Upton Park in the 1996/97 season.

"It would be lovely to have someone with West Ham history," Gold said in an interview on the club's official website.

"Having Premier League experience - that doesn't mean English Premier League - that means a man who has managed successfully in the Italian league, Spanish league, the German league or a major league in the world."That is a box that needs to be ticked, we don't want to take a chance."