Gianfranco Zola has sympathy for Sam Allardyce if he is replaced as West Ham manager.
But the Italian, one of Allardyce's predecessors, wants whomever is in charge of the Hammers next season to take the club to "another level."
Allardyce is out of contract and Sunday's Premier League match at Newcastle could be his last as West Ham boss.
Zola, speaking on behalf of Premier League sponsors Barclays, told Press Association Sport: "I know where this is coming from. I know the supporters want to see another style of football than the team has been playing in the last few years.
"[But] it would be unfair to say Sam doesn't deserve to be there, because he's done an extremely good job for the club, in terms of achieving results and that has to be said.
"The club, the supporters, want to see something different. They might be looking for somebody else. Who? It's difficult for me to say.
"It's a good club and I really hope they're going to get somebody good to take the team to another level."
Newly appointed Stevenage boss Teddy Sheringham said Allardyce has not given up hope of signing a new contract, but admitted uncertainty over Allardyce's future is what convinced him to quit as West Ham's assistant.
Sheringham was unveiled as the new boss of Stevenage on Thursday having spent a season under Allardyce at Upton Park as the club's attacking coach.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "He is still hopeful that something will happen -- it happened like that the last time he was out of contract at West Ham. I don't think it's any mystery or secret that they have been trying to look for other managers. [But] just because... the next contract isn't straight at his feet doesn't mean to say that it's not going to happen."
The 49-year-old former England international admitted he would have been happy to stay at Upton Park had he known Allardyce's future was secure. And when Stevenage called "out of the blue" to offer him the job to replace their outgoing coach Graham Westley, Sheringham knew it was the right time to make his full managerial bow.
Sheringham added: "If Sam had asked me three or four months ago and said, 'Look, I've got a couple more years here and I want to you stay,' I'd probably have said, 'Yeah, let's do it.'
"But things have been uncertain for Sam in the last six months and things have dragged on from his perspective, which has left an empty corridor for myself. I thought to myself over the last couple of months I could give it a go, but for this chance to come up out of the blue it feels right so I am going to jump in and take a chance."