Sam Allardyce expects to sign new West Ham deal early next week

Sam Allardyce says he expects to sign a new contract with West Ham United early next week.

The Hammers boss has led the east London side to Premier League safety in their first season back in the top flight, and a top-half finish is within reach.

Allardyce has held regular discussions with the club’s owners David Gold and David Sullivan in recent months, and the 58-year-old plans to commit his future to West Ham in the coming days.

“I will be signing my contract very shortly,” he said. “Early next week will be the right time.

“We are getting ready to travel on Saturday and we are concentrating on Everton. But by early or next midweek I will be looking to put pen to paper.

“There were processes we had to go through and put it together in the right way, which it has now. I never thought there would be any problem – and there hasn’t.

“There has been some issue with the legal jargon in the contract which I couldn’t understand so that has to go to both sides lawyers to agree and then it gets signed. The size of a manager’s contract is pretty substantial in terms of responsibilities.”

West Ham travel to Everton for their penultimate Premier League game on Sunday.