West Ham’s failure to overcome ten-man Fulham at Upton Park left ’s men in the bottom three of the Premier League going into the international break.   And they required a late deflected effort from Junior Stanislas to even snatch a 2-2 draw, despite having a man advantage for 50 minutes after Kagisho Dikgacoi’s dismissal following an altercation with Hammers’ midfielder Scott Parker.   Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that owners CB Holdings are looking to off-load the club, with former Birmingham City co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold expressing an interest in a takeover, backed by the multi-millions they received from selling their stake in the midlands outfit.

Yet the symbolism of a bottom three place in a league table which managers traditionally view as about the first serious form guide for the season has not been lost on media commentators.

Reports that Zola has enquired after Livorno midfielder Antonio Candreva, though, have been denied by the Italian’s agent Andrea Moretti.

 

The 22-year-old played under Zola when the Sardinian was in charge of Italy’s under-21 squad. But Moretti insisted: “There has been no contact.   “It is true that Zola knows Antonio well having coached him…but to conclude from this that we are in negotiations is too much.”   Better news for Zola is that, long-term injuries aside, he will have a relatively full squad available for Saturday’s taxing trip to Stoke.   His major selection headache will be over replacing the suspended Parker, the choice lying between Mark Noble and Valon Behrami.

But takeover talk has dominated West Ham’s recent news agenda.

Sullivan has expressed the most vocal interest in taking over from CB Holdings, the company set up by creditors of Icelandic bank Straumur; themselves owed money by bankrupt former Hammers owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.

However, his comments about what he sees as West Ham’s “huge” debts have annoyed CB Holdings, who have reportedly rejected his initial advances.

Sullivan was a club shareholder in the 1980s alongside erstwhile Birmingham City business partner Gold, who also played for West Ham’s youth team in long-ago days.

Sullivan claimed: “West Ham have always had a special place in my heart. But, looking from the outside, the debts seem to be absolutely huge. They need investment quickly, or they could end up bust.”

CB Holdings have valued the club at £100m. This matches Sullivan’s estimate of the debts and therefore reportedly matches his offer, while CB Holdings calculate the debt as nearer £50m and would also expect a cash injection.

Former chairman Eggert Magnusson has also expressed an interest in a return to Upton Park.

The former ‘biscuit baron’ and Icelandic FA chairman, who still lives in London, was largely blamed for West Ham’s overspending in the early days of their Icelandic ownership.

But Magnusson believes he was made a scapegoat for other financial problems and reportedly retains a “deep fondness” for the club.