Source: Daily_Mail
Zola sets his sights on the future as West Ham launch their mission to Europe
With West Ham seventh in the Premier League and looking towards Europe, Gianfranco Zola is certainly keeping his side of the bargain.
Now, though, the ambitious Italian is hoping the club which gave him his big chance in management, can keep their half of the deal.
Tonight at Upton Park, Zola's buoyant West Ham take on West Brom looking to maintain their push for a European place. On the pitch it could hardly be going better.
Off it, though, there are still important issues to be decided before Zola can realistically begin planning to go even higher.
One long-standing problem may be nearing a solution with West Ham and Sheffield United agreeing on compensation over the Carlos Tevez saga, thought to be around £20million over five years.
With the Sheffield United problem settled, the club are more likely to be sold this summer with an English consortium said to be willing to pay around £100m. The consortium are reported to be prepared to invest £30m on the squad for next season but that sum could be affected by the Tevez settlement.
Zola is understandably keen for the club's future to be settled as soon as possible so that he can look towards the future with some certainty.
'I have to focus on the work out on the pitch,' he said. 'This is why the club employed me and if I can make things work on the pitch I can help the club in the process.
'Hopefully the Carlos Tevez situation will be resolved soon and that will be a good because then we can sit down and plan for the future knowing exactly what we are dealing with.
'I am told the club will pay the money to Sheffield United over a period of years and it will not affect our spending. If we want to strengthen the team in the summer I will be able to do that.'
When Zola joined West Ham, his immediate ambition was to improve upon last season's 10th-place finish.
'There was a time we were two points from the bottom but even then the team believed in what we were doing and stayed together,' he said. 'The aim this season was to finish ninth. So far we are doing better and now we have another opportunity. When you achieve your objective you have to reassess things.'
Which is why Zola is now aiming higher. Despite a recent crop of injuries and a two-match suspension for main striker Carlton Cole, the manager believes a UEFA Cup place beckons at the end of the season and from there, perhaps even the Champions League further down the line.
'I hope that one day I will be competing with those big teams in the Champions League and I hope it will be soon,' he said. 'We will see how well I do my job and how well the team does the job. That is one of the targets we have.
'If I didn't stick to what I believe then I would not do this job. I would rather do something else. I'm not manager here because I need the money. I'm here because I like it and because I want to follow my philosophy.'
With that in mind, it is easy to understand why Zola wants the club's future to be settled soon.
'Once the matter is settled then it will give us the possibility to plan for next season. So far that has been difficult,' he said. 'If we do qualify for Europe we will need to strengthen the squad.'
Defender James Tomkins is hopeful that the Hammers will be in the UEFA Cup next term
'There is a lot to play for between now and the end of the season,' he said. 'If we can achieve that European place it will be great. That is what the manager has us aiming for.'
