West Ham joint-chairman David Gold has moved quickly to reject the idea of Slaven Bilic becoming England manager.
A number of media outlets have started to link the former Croatia boss with the England job after Roy Hodgson resigned following England’s dismal exit to Euro 2016 minnows Iceland on Monday.
Following on from his impressive appearances on ITV Football’s pundit panel, it wasn’t long before Slaven Bilic was being touted as a possible successor to Roy Hodgson.
Despite the hype surrounding the West Ham manager, Gold has dismissed the possibility of Bilic becoming the new England boss:
“I don’t believe [Bilic] would be the slightest bit interested in taking on England,
“I don’t believe either the FA will come for him, as they have been down the foreign manager route and it hasn’t worked.
“England is simply not part of Slaven’s mission. We have backed him 100% and he us – our commitment to each other is total.
“This is his club and he is on his way to great things at the Olympic Stadium. I don’t believe he will be tempted away by anything.”
Gold’s strong words suggest that he is confident in keeping hold of his manager. His comments will also be a relief to West Ham fans as Bilic’s exciting brand of football and striking personality have made him a really popular figure amongst the Hammers faithful.
With Bilic looking unlikely, Gareth Southgate is still the favourite to become the new England manager ahead of the likes of fellow countrymen Eddie Howe, Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce.
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