Six managers were offered West Ham job in January – report

Avram Grant ,West Ham United(Getty Images)

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A close friend of Avram Grant has revealed that six managers were offered the West Ham job in January, according to the Guardian.

Grant was sacked in the aftermath of West Ham’s 3-2 defeat to Wigan on Sunday that saw them relegated from the Premier League.

Martin O’Neill was believed to have been lined up to replace Grant by owners David Gold and David Sullivan, a moment the Israeli sees as pivotal during his reign.

The close friend said: “Avram points to January when Martin O’Neill was offered his job when Grant was reportedly going to be sacked whatever the result against Arsenal on January 15.

“He says six managers were asked by the club to take over, including Steve McClaren and Sam Allardyce, but they would not do it because they knew the situation there.

“Avram feels frustrated. If he had not been sacked he believes he could have steadied the club and taken it on to much better things next season.”

Before being told by many friends not to take the job at West Ham, Grant was manager of Portsmouth, which is a job he felt was easier than his time at Upton Park.

“He actually said that despite all the financial difficulties at Portsmouth, where players were not being paid and the club faced liquidation, that job was far easier than the West Ham one because he could concentrate on the on-field job.”

A source close to the Israeli added: “Avram was advised not to take the job by several people in football but he wanted the challenge.

“He feels almost from the moment he took over the situation was virtually impossible.”

Further to Grant’s problems, he was also not backed when it came to the transfer market, with deals for Marc Wilson and Yakubu not materialising.

“Wilson wanted to sign for Avram and Portsmouth would have sold him for £3m but the owners would not go beyond £2.5m and so he ended up joining Stoke,” the friend added.

“Another example is Yakubu. West Ham were willing to pay £6m for him – David Moyes wanted £10m so the deal could not happen, but Avram was not allowed to spend money on other signings, which he could not understand.

“He regrets not checking out the club properly to find out the true situation about the budget.

“His vision was for the club was to be a mini-Arsenal, developing their own players and style.

“He knew it would be difficult in the first season, fighting relegation at the same time.

“But if he knew then what he knows now he probably would not have accepted the job.”

Meanwhile, Tzofit Grant, who is Avram’s wife, says the former Chelsea boss may have been wrong to take charge at Upton Park.

“Maybe there was a mistake on Avram’s part to accept the job,” she said.

“There were so many people who were offered it but turned it down because they thought they wouldn’t be able to manage.

“But Avram wanted to rise to the challenge.

“There are so many things that we can’t talk about – so many things he had to deal with that people don’t know about.

“He found no joy except only with the fans, players and his assistants.”