Gianfranco Zola next for the boot? Bet on it

TIME is running out on Gianfranco Zola if the bookies are to be believed. The West Ham manager is the new favourite to be the next English Premier League manager to leave his post following a sustained gamble.

Zola is 5-4, from 6-1, a move which saw him overtake under-pressure Rafa Benitez (4-1), Phil Brown (4-1) and Avram Grant (7-2) in the betting. "With rumours of an impending takeover at West Ham punters are beginning to put two and two together. There appears to be an assumption that whoever comes in will want their own man," said a Ladbrokes spokesman.