West Ham United say they are committed to retaining manager Avram Grant after weeks of speculation over his future at Upton Park.

The Israeli appeared on the brink of the sack, with reports at the weekend linking Martin O'Neill with the post. However, the club issued a statement this morning insisting they were standing by Grant, despite the club sitting bottom of the Premier League, with just four wins from their first 20 matches.

The club are committed to retaining Avram Grant as manager and have identified potential transfer targets to give us the best possible chance of retaining Premier League status.
A West Ham United club statement

A statement posted on the club's official website read: "The club are committed to retaining Avram Grant as manager and have identified potential transfer targets to give us the best possible chance of retaining Premier League status."

The 55-year-old was due to take training at the club's training ground in Essex this morning. Reports emerged in the last 24 hours that O'Neill had ruled himself out of the running to succeed Grant.