West Ham have agreed to appoint Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager and are close to finalising a deal for Ruben Cousillas to join as his number two, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claim that Pellegrini, 64, will be announced as the new Hammers boss on Wednesday on a £7million-a-year contract.
The Mirror report that West Ham are in advanced talks with Argentine Cousillas to link up with his fellow south American in London and that terms are being finalised.
OPINION
Most managers have a team of trusted allies who follow them from job to job. With Pellegrini, it is slightly different as he has only one main confidante during his managerial adventures across the globe, Cousillas. Premier League followers will remember the Argentine well from the three year he spent by Pellegrini’s side at Manchester City. His association with the Chilean dates back 20 years to eight different clubs, where the pair have had prolonged and notable success. The 60-year-old has the nickname El Flaco, or ‘Skinny’ and has been alongside Pellegrini since he was handed the reigns at Argentinian side San Lorenzo. At the time, the Chilean was relatively unknown and he kept on Cousillas as a man who knew the club, and Argentine football, inside out. The pair steered the Buenos Aires side to a miraculous title win with a stunning run of 11 straight wins, and their partnership has continued to flourish, in a subsequent post in Argentina with River Plate, in Spain with Villarreal, Malaga and Real Madrid, then to the Premier League with Manchester City, before their most far-flung post to date in China with Hebei Fortune. Now, they are on the verge of linking up in the English capital.
