West Ham chairman David Sullivan has blocked talks regarding a contract extension for manager Manuel Pellegrini, despite the Hammers' excellent start to the 2019/20 season.
The club currently sit fifth in the Premier League table after seven games, just four points off last year's domestic treble winners Manchester City.
However, according to a report from Football Insider, Sullivan has decided to block any talks with Pellegrini about extending the three-year deal he signed upon his arrival in 2018, instead opting to wait and see further evidence of the Chilean's success.
His current deal is understood to be worth a whopping £10m-a-year - making him one of the highest-paid managers in the league, and indeed the world - and given this, as well as his age, the club are confident that he will not be seduced by alternative offers.
The club will therefore wait until the end of next season - should the 66-year-old still be in charge - to enter into any contractual negotiations with the former Real Madrid and Man City boss.
Such stalling tactics have been a staple of Sullivan and David Gold's tenure in east London, and it's easy to see why, given the exorbitant compensatory fees that clubs have been forced to hand out to sacked managers in recent times.
Seems strange to even be talking about Pochettino replacements! https://t.co/smvTbzSTMK
— 90min (@90min_Football) October 2, 2019
Pellegrini guided the Hammers
And, while the boss may not be receiving new offers at the minute, one man who the club have reached out to is James Collins, with the role of club ambassador on the table following his unseemly exit from the club last summer.
Source : 90min