Avram Grant will remain West Ham United manager, the Upton Park club has confirmed.
Grant was expected to be sacked following the weekend defeat to Arsenal, with reports claiming Martin O’Neill had been offered the job.
But former Celtic and Aston Villa boss O’Neill is believed to have turned down the chance to manage the rock-bottom Hammers, who have reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.
The West Ham board has now publicly given their backing to ex-Chelsea and Portsmouth manager Grant, while also rubbishing a Daily Mirror article claiming vice-chairman Karren Brady had tried to unsettle Grant by contacting members of the first-team squad.
A club statement read: “West Ham United categorically deny the allegations made in today's Daily Mirror with regard to Karren Brady, the club's Vice-Chairman.
“Karren has worked tirelessly to improve all aspects of the club's operation and is extremely disappointed by the nature of these unfounded allegations.
“West Ham fully intend to identify the source of these unhelpful and untrue comments and remove them from the club. West Ham have placed the matter immediately in the hands of their lawyers.
“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.”