Zola Agrees Three-year Deal to Take the Reins at West Ham

West Ham United hope to introduce Gianfranco Zola as their first foreign manager this afternoon after the Italian agreed a three-year contract with the Upton Park club and was released from his duties with Italy's Under-21s.

Zola is to fly to London this morning after his lawyer agreed personal terms on his behalf. He will sign the deal having been reassured that his close links with Chelsea will not prevent him gaining acceptance, and he will be in the stands for Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion. The caretaker Kevin Keen - who will be retained - will pick the side for that one.

Zola was recently voted Chelsea's greatest ever player by supporters after spending seven years at the club. He is still exploring the possibility of bringing Chelsea's current first-team coach, Steve Clarke, to Upton Park as his No2. Confirmation of Zola's arrival completes a speedy and satisfactory selection process undertaken by the board since Alan Curbishley resigned a little over a week ago.

Jamie Carragher has vehemently denounced Liverpool's "ruthless" owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, but believes Rafael Benítez must share responsibility for the public spat that almost cost the Spaniard his job last year.

The Liverpool defender admitted he feels physically ill at the prospect of Hicks and Gillett making a substantial profit on their investment in the club, having so far failed to deliver the new stadium that was promised on the first day of their take-over 20 months ago. Writing in Carra: My Autobiography, which is published today, Carragher claims: "For richer or poorer, we'd sold Liverpool to two ruthless businessmen who saw us as a moneymaking opportunity. They wanted to buy us because the planned stadium offered a chance to generate tons of cash."

Carragher accuses Benítez of triggering last season's disharmony by calling for greater and more urgent investment in his squad. "I understood why the owners were unhappy with him too," he added. "They'd been undermined by Rafa and now they were undermining him."

Manchester City's Robinho has admitted he scrawled graffiti - saying "There must be respect for the best team in the world" - inside Chile's national stadium on Sunday after Brazil's 3-0 win. "I wrote it," he admitted. "Chile did not respect us and look what happened to them."