Thursday 5 January 2017 08:22, UK
Former Olympiakos boss Marco Silva is the leading contender to replace Mike Phelan as Hull City head coach, Sky sources understand.
Phelan was sacked on Tuesday night less than three months after taking charge on a permanent basis, and Hull's vice-chairman Ehab Allam confirmed on Wednesday he expects to name a successor before the weekend.
That man could be Silva, the Portuguese coach who was expected to hold talks over the position on Wednesday.
And money is available to make signings this month, according to Allam, who said: "I maintain the belief that the current squad, with two or three key additions during the current transfer window, is good enough to survive in this division.
"I acknowledge that our position in the table will make recruitment more challenging, however all of our efforts are now focused on enhancing the existing squad with Premier League survival our priority."
Silva has been out of work since the summer, when he quit Olympiakos for personal reasons after leading the club to a record 43rd domestic title in his sole season in charge.
The 39-year-old had previously spent three years in charge of Estoril, leading them to promotion to Portugal's top division as champions in 2011/12 and being named Liga de Honra manager of the year.
He left the club for Sporting Lisbon in 2014 but was sacked in June 2015 not long after guiding the club to victory in the Portuguese Cup final.
Silva had been behind Gary Rowett in the betting to take over from Phelan but strong support saw him become a long odds-on favourite on Wednesday morning.
The club also confirmed on Wednesday that Phelan's coaches Neil McDonald, Bobby Mimms and Stan Ternent have all left.
And Allam's statement gave more detail on the reason's for Phelan's dismissal after two months without a league win.
He said: "Mike initially took on the role at a difficult time last summer, inheriting a small squad that had lost a number of players to injury, and with the transfer window already in full swing. He would also go on to lose a number of key back-room team members through no fault of his own.
"Despite the difficult circumstances, the team made a positive start to the season and money was made available to strengthen the squad ahead of the transfer deadline with a significant investment made in the signing of six new players.
"However, results have been on the decline since that time and although there have been some positive performances in recent weeks, we sit bottom of the Premier League and I felt now was the right time to take a fresh approach."
