Gianfranco Zola reached an agreement in principal last night to become the West Ham United manager and is likely to arrive in London this evening to complete the formalities of his contract. The former Chelsea forward, who is expected to be presented to the media tomorrow, will become the twelfth full-time manager in the club’s history and the first foreigner to take charge at Upton Park, succeeding Alan Curbishley, who resigned last week.

Roberto Donadoni, Zola’s fellow Italian, withdrew from contention yesterday when it became clear that he was the club’s second choice.

Assuming that things run smoothly, Zola, 42, is expected to be in the stands at The Hawthorns on Saturday for West Ham’s Barclays Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion - Kevin Keen, the reserve-team coach, will be in charge on the side-lines - and take control of the team at home to Newcastle United a week later. Zola has been given permission by the Italian FA to leave his post as assistant coach of Italy Under21, his first coaching post since retiring from playing three years ago.

Inevitably, Zola’s popularity will boil down to him shaping the side to match the form he showed at Chelsea. There, too, he faced critics when he arrived, but he left them charmed.

“I’m a bit concerned that there is a movement among some fans that is hostile about my appointment,” Zola said last night. “I hope that by coming to London that can be clarified. West Ham is one of those opportunities that does not come around often.”

Among the names being considered as Zola’s assistants are Steve Clarke, the Chelsea assistant first-team coach, and Pierluigi Casiraghi, who may be unwilling to drop down from his position as Zola’s superior as coach of Italy Under21.

The appointment of Clarke, a second former Chelsea player, may be a step too far for some West Ham supporters. Zola named Clarke as his first-choice No 2 during a conversation about the post. The Scot, who began his association with Chelsea as a player in 1987, is ready to discuss a possible move to West Ham, who have not yet made an approach.

Clarke, 45, enjoyed an excellent relationship with Zola during their time together at Stamford Bridge and is ready for a change five years after being appointed youth-team coach at Stamford Bridge. The former Scotland defender made a valuable contribution as an assistant under José Mourinho and was in charge of most of the training sessions under Avram Grant last season, but has had less involvement under Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Gary Firmager, editor of Over Land and Sea, the West Ham fanzine, said that Zola will be judged by the football. “West Ham fans respect that he was an exciting player, despite playing for Chelsea, and if he brings that here, he will be adopted,” he said.

Donadoni, the former Italy coach, withdrew from the running yesterday, suggesting that he was favoured by some within Upton Park. “It does appear that the board have not yet, after some time, come to an agreement and a conclusion on who the successful candidate should be,” he said. “It is important for me to feel that I have the full support of the club.”

Gianfranco Zola’s Italy booked their place in the play-offs for the 2009 European Under21 Championship finals last night. A 1-1 draw against Croatia resulted in the Azzurri team, who featured Zola as assistant coach, qualifying at the expense of their opponents. Wales also progress, having finished top of their group after beating Romania 3-0, but Holland, winners of the past two tournaments, in 2006 and 2007, were knocked out after losing 1-0 to Switzerland. Denmark also went through after beating Scotland 1-0