Slaven Bilic plays down speculation over his West Ham future ahead of Tottenham

The Hammers face Tottenham this weekend fresh from three straight draws and sit seven points clear of the relegation zone

Ben Burrows
Thursday 04 May 2017 07:16 EDT
Comments
Slaven Bilic is fully focused on the game with Tottenham on Friday night
Slaven Bilic is fully focused on the game with Tottenham on Friday night (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Slaven Bilic has played down suggestions his future is in doubt at West Ham.

The Hammers face Tottenham this weekend off the back of three straight draws and sit seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Bilic has faced speculation over his future all season with the likes of Roberto Mancini and Rafa Benitez linked with his job.

But with crucial points still up for grabs as the Hammers look to finally secure their Premier League status the Croatian is choosing instead to focus his attention on the task at hand.

"It's not the time to talk about my situation. It's the time to talk about the club. I'm very calm and focused on the game,” he said. "It's not the time to talk about transfers. We are talking about targets with the staff and the board, but not in public."

Tottenham can close within one point of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League with a win on Friday night.

And Bilic admits his side face a daunting task against the team he feels are playing the best football in the country.

"I have nothing but praise for Chelsea, I have great respect for them to make the gap they have," he added. "Don't get me wrong, Chelsea deserve to be on top, but Spurs are playing maybe the best football.

Slaven Bilic saw his side move to 39 points after the draw with Stoke
Slaven Bilic saw his side move to 39 points after the draw with Stoke (Getty)

"Spurs have been in good form for the past couple of months and are playing good. But we have to be positive. We are four games unbeaten and have three cleans sheets as well. Our form has improved and we are positive and optimistic."

Bilic will hand Andy Carroll a late fitness test on the groin problem which has sidelined him for the last two matches, while fellow striker Diafra Sakho will miss the rest of the season with a back injury.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in