West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola has been assured his job is safe under new owners David Sullivan and David Gold.

The Daily Mail says the pair have sealed a deal worth £105million for 50 per cent of the club and will take on their debts.

Zola will be given a chance to prove himself to the former Birmingham City owners, who have promised to invest in the squad before the end of the month.

The news that his job is safe will come as a major relief to Zola, as former Manchester City manager Mark Hughes had been hotly tipped as the man the new owners wanted to revive West Ham's fortunes.

Such was the level of speculation about Zola's future on Monday that bookmakers stopped taking bets on him becoming the next Barclays Premier League manager to lose his job.

But now the uncertainty has been resolved, Zola has an opportunity to concentrate on ensuring West Ham's Premier League status. They are currently in 16th place.