In the wake of a 3-0 thrashing at home by Arsenal on Saturday, West Ham officials are trying to repair damage to their negotiations with Martin O’Neill, possible successor to manager Arvam Grant.

O'Neill is apparently incensed that word of the West Ham discussions has been reported and in some cases he is said to have already signed a contract to take over the club languishing at the bottom of the Premier League. The former Northern Ireland international, who resigned as manager of Aston Villa just prior to the start of the season, is waiting for Grant to be dismissed before serious talks can commence. He is reportedly being considered a short-term solution to save the club from relegation rather than a long-term hire.

As for Grant, he deflected a fresh barrage of questions regarding his future after the Hammers were outclassed. “I prefer to talk about football rather than answer questions about other things around, especially when I am not the man you need to be asking,” he said.

“I had two choices and chose to focus on football. I want to focus on the thing I can control and this is the team.”