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West Ham’s future success could hinge on a number of things. The amount of money available for transfers, the ability to hold onto the club’s top players and how well the youngsters develop will all be crucial to the Hammers' cause.

However none of these are as important as making sure that the manager signs a long-term contract at the club though, according to Matthew Upson.

The England defender believes that Gianfranco Zola has been a major success during his time at the club so far and that he needs to stay exactly where he is for the next few years. Zola has guided the club to 7th in the Premier League, meaning that there is a very realistic chance of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

This alone should be enough to convince West Ham to offer Zola a new deal according to Upson who says that ‘the longer he stays at the club, the better’ because he has done ‘brilliantly since he came in’. The Italian is clearly a very popular figure with the players, as he is with the fans, so you would have thought that it is in everyone’s best interests for the former Chelsea man to sign a new deal.

As for what Zola’s best qualities are, Upson says that he has ‘great tactical awareness’, ‘excellent man management skills’ and a huge amount of ‘respect’ from the entire squad, partly due to the type of player he was. He is now gaining this respect for his ability as a manager though and Upson isn’t afraid to shout it from the rooftops.

In terms of what West Ham can achieve this season, Upson is still very confident that a European place could be achieved as long as ‘one or two players’ get back fit before the end of the campaign. West Ham still have to play Chelsea and Liverpool in the next few weeks, but Upson still thinks that Europe is a ‘big goal for the club’.

The most exciting thing about the current set-up at Upton Park though is what the team can achieve in the future. This is what Upson was hinting at when he talked about Zola signing a new deal. In fact, he said that ‘next season could be very interesting’ if the management regime remains the same and the squad is kept together.

The focus needs to be on the remaining 5 games for now though. A good finish to the season will stand the team in good stead for next year because European football will help keep the best players at the club and attract some new ones as well. Things are looking good, but the next two or three weeks are absolutely crucial. With regards to football betting, don't go against Zola leading the club to great success in the future.

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