Bilic risks wrath of Sullivan and Gold over Sporting row

Slaven Bilic is on a collision course with West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan after admitting he found a jibe against them funny, and also hit back at Sullivan for claiming he turned down Grzegorz Krychowiak and Renato Sanches.

Sporting Lisbon president Bruno de Carvalho this week labelled the co-chairmen the “Dildo Brothers” in reference to their previous occupation as soft porn entrepreneurs as the fallout following William Carvalho’s failed transfer to East London continued.

Now Bilic has risked the wrath of his bosses by laughing at them and insisting Krychowiak and Sanches, who joined West Brom and Swansea respectively, were never serious midfield options behind firstchoice Carvalho.

In an extraordinary press conference, the manager also said he expected a deal for Carvalho to be completed in January despite the ill feeling between the clubs.

“I thought about coming [here] with a lawyer today,” he joked. “There have been issues. The ‘Dildo Brothers’ it’s funny. It made me laugh, but look – make no mistake – I don’t like to talk about some things. David Sullivan likes to talk – it’s his right to be able to. I wanted the player [Carvalho] and that is not exactly what happened with those two you mention.

“I wanted Carvalho and it looked likely, and to be fair, during my time at West Ham, it’s very common that when it looks like a player is going to happen, that someone throws in two or three other names and that distracts you from the main target. That’s what happened. Those two other players are very good players, of course they are.”

Bilic was frustrated that a bid in excess of club record £24 million move for Carvalho was not good enough, believing finances held up the deal, a confession that is further likely to incense Sullivan and Gold.

He said: “Why didn’t it happen? I think it was definitely money. I know I wanted the player but as far as I know, we have been in talks with Sporting Lisbon. Official or not, I don’t know. I don’t do these things. I suggested the player, I wanted the player and we talked to them. It didn’t happen because the money was too high.

“To be fair, I’m smiling, I’m laughing, I’m joking. I’m frustrated because we didn’t get the player, of course. I’ve been trying to get him for a couple of years. We offloaded many players just to raise funds for Carvalho, we sold 11 players.

“You can’t be like a small child and cry and go, ‘Buy me that Kinder Egg’ that my daughter is asking me for every time we go to Waitrose. Then if you don’t buy it she is very disappointed. You can’t be like that. You move on.”

Since the transfer window shut there have been a series of public comments between West Ham and Sporting in terms of words and threats of legal action.

However, Bilic is still confident a deal will finally be completed in the next transfer window.

“Can it be done in January? That’s January, come on. Yes. I’m expecting it, yes,” he said. “But who thinks about January now? OK, definitely. But January we have 17 games until then, many.”

Whether Bilic is at the club in January remains to be seen after three straight defeats at the start of the campaign put the pressure on, even before this spat.

“I haven’t been told my job is on the line,” he insisted. “But we have zero points after three games. We have to start winning. I think about it as a good job and where I have to put my energy is working and talking with the lads.”