Malaga’s sporting director Mario Husillos is to become the Director of football at West Ham.

Social media rumours suggested this afternoon that Eduardo Macia had been appointed as director of football but Claret and Hugh has learnt that is not true.

A Hammers insider told us:  “Mario Husillos is/will be the director of football. The manager will have the final say and will only take players he thinks will improve the team. Pellegrini is in constant contact via emails and mobile phone in Chile.”

Pellegrini and the Argentine worked well together at Malaga before the 64-year-old arrived at Manchester City in 2013.

Husillos was a striker in his playing days who started his professional playing career in 1977 with Boca Juniors where he was part of the squad that won the Copa Libertadores in 1978. He also played for Loma Negra, San Lorenzo and Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina.

Husillos played in Spain for Cartagena FC, Real Murcia, CD Málaga, CD Tenerife, Cádiz CF, CD Cieza and Málaga CF.

Following retirement Husillos was the manager of Almagro, he guided the club to promotion from the Primera B Nacional to the Argentine Primera but he resigned 10 games into the Apertura 2000 tournament. In Spain, he managed Málaga B between 2006 and 2007.

He was appointed Sporting Director of Malaga in 2012 leaving in 2015 later joining Olympiakos in 2017 for six months before rejoining Malaga in the same role in October 2017