Slaven Bilic has been left fearing for his future as West Ham manager after planned talks over a new contract were shelved.
The Croat was due to begin negotiations over extending his stay with the Hammers after the turn of the year, but the Sun now claims that those discussions have been put on the back burner due to concerns over performances and results, with talks now set to be held at the end of the campaign.
Bilic has seemingly turned West Ham's fortunes around after guiding his side to seven points in the past three matches - form that has lifted them to 13th in the Premier League table. However, speculation from within the club appears to suggest that the Irons' co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have been left unconvinced by the team's current displays on the field.
Last Saturday's 1-0 victory over Hull City did little to help Bilic's credentials, with the Tigers the better of the two sides for large swathes of the encounter before Mark Noble's penalty 15 minutes from time handed the home outfit an undeserved win.
The result followed another 1-0 home victory over Burnley and a 2-2 away draw at title challengers Liverpool, but the manner of the club's performances under Bilic has apparently led to widespread concerns among those in charge at the London Stadium.
An insider at the club told the Sun: Talks over any new deal have been put off until the end of the season at the earliest, to see what happens.
Slaven has regularly made it clear he is happy to hold on before negotiating, but he wanted something in place by the turn of the year.
Despite picking up seven points from the last three games, such has been the level of performance, that nobody is ready to sit down and talk turkey.
The display against Hull had important people shaking their heads in despair. They looked like a pub team at times.�
EXCLUSIVE: West Ham pull the plug on contract talks with Slaven Bilic https://t.co/iI28kGAEwb pic.twitter.com/N40jdWTYH3
Sullivan had earlier stated that he and Gold would sit down with Bilic after Christmas to discuss fresh terms for the 48-year-old, whose current deal expires in June 2018.
He said: I will give Slaven a new deal in January. I just want to see that he is not a one-season wonder. I am sure he is not but we'll talk next January.�
West Ham take on Swansea City at the Liberty stadium on Boxing Day before facing a New Year's Eve trip to fellow strugglers Leicester City.
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