Zola slams West Ham owners over timing of wage cuts

Gianfranco Zola has hit back at West Ham's new owners over their plans to slash the wages at Upton Park, reports the Daily Mail.

It is understood that the manager, players and other staff will be asked to take a 25 per cent cut to reduce the club's £60million wage bill.

Co-owner David Sullivan revealed the plans on Tuesday morning but they have not gone down well with Zola, who is fighting to keep the Hammers in the Barclays Premier League.

"I think the article should have been done at another time, not just before a match like tomorrow," he said. 'It would have been better to say that at another time and maybe talk to us before talking to a newspaper. That is my feeling."

Zola, who earns £1.9m a year, revealed he had not spoken to the owners, nor had he been consulted about the issue. "Personally I can say I am not here for the money.

"Last year when I signed a contract I didn't even know how much I was going to earn. I had a plan and a project and I liked what I was going to do.

"I didn't know what I was going to earn and then after a while the club called me in about a new contract. It's not about money. It is about working for something positive. I aways enjoy working for this club. The money was something that came after."

When asked if the owners speak to the press too much, Zola added: "It doesn't interest me. They can talk to the press as much as they want.

'When an article comes like that before a big match like tomorrow I'm not happy about that because I don't think it is any good for the whole team. The match is all that matters to me and the players."