There are fresh doubts over the future of West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola.

The Sunday Mirror says Zola will not sanction the sale of his key players before the transfer window closes at the end of this month.

Icelandic owners Straumur have demanded the immediate sale of key men like Carlton Cole, Mark Noble, Matthew Upson, Robert Green and Scott Parker to meet mounting debts.

Zola and chief executive Scott Duxbury are embroiled in a war with the board.

Duxbury is seen as a particular problem because he is so closely aligned to Zola and the project of mixing home-grown players with some big-name internationals.

The pair are pushing hard for new strikers and are totally opposed to the sale of star men.