West Ham United assistant manager Steve Clarke is in the frame to succeed Gianfranco Zola in the summer.

The Telegraph says Zola is now expected to remain in charge of West Ham United until the end of the season with the club understood to be considering appointing his assistant Clarke as the new manager in the summer.

The Scot has also made no secret that he would also like the opportunity to manage a club, rather than be an assistant, and this was part of his motivation for joining West Ham from Chelsea.

He earns £900,000 a year, a high salary for an assistant, but one which also reflects the fact that he has greater duties than are usually associated with the role.

West Ham's co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, who have a controlling 50 per cent interest in the club, are therefore pondering whether to give Clarke the opportunity to stake a claim.