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Sam Allardyce is on a collision course with West Ham's owners over new forward Mauro Zarate and midfielder Ravel Morrison.

MirrorSport understands Allardyce did not want Zarate, who has excited fans in his brief appearances in pre-season.

It comes after Hammers co-owner David Sullivan confirmed our exclusive on Thursday revealing that Morrison is not in Big Sam's plans for the new season.

Sullivan and joint-chairman David Gold have said they want to keep the England Under-21 star.

The Londoners' board also believe Zarate, who was top scorer in Argentina last season with 20 goals for Velez Sarsfield, will be a big hit with fans at Upton Park if he is played in the right position - behind a big striker.

The difference of opinion with Allardyce came when the Hammers' top brass informed him they had agreed a deal with the 27-year-old's club.

Allardyce made his feelings clear but West Ham pressed ahead and signed Zarate anyway.

(Image: Getty)

Their decision has already been vindicated as Zarate may now have to hold the fort up front while last summer's £15million signing Andy Carroll recovers from Friday surgery on torn ankle ligaments.

It was confirmed on Thursday that England striker Carroll is out for four months with his torn ankle ligaments.

Zarate has already made the board - and Irons fans - confident they have made a good investment, coming off the bench to score with a well-taken finish in their pre-season friendly against Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand on Wednesday.

The signing of Zarate came a year after West Ham missed out on the chance to sign striker Wilfried Bony last season because Allardyce didn't want him.

You be the judge: Was Zarate worth buying?

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The Londoners agreed an £8m deal with Bony's then-club, Vitesse Arnhem of Holland, but then dropped their interest, allowing Swansea to steal in.

Bony went on to score 25 goals for the Welsh club and is now rated at £19m.

Zarate's arrival piles the pressure on Allardyce, who has already been told to target a top-half finish next season and to do so with a greater emphasis on entertaining the Hammers' board and fans.

West Ham regret being left in the lurch last summer when they unequivocally backed Big Sam's decision to bring in Liverpool winger Stewart Downing - despite their reservations - instead of signing another striker as cover for Carroll, who went on to miss the first five months of the season.

The Hammers lack of firepower saw them flirt perilously with relegation and they have vowed never to be left in the same situation again.

They are now waiting for a work permit to be granted to Ecuador World Cup forward Enner Valencia and are looking for another two strikers, with 30-year-old free agent Portugal international Hugo Almeida a possibility.