"The Michael Carrick situation is that there are offers on the table from Portsmouth and more than two other clubs; the first bid from Portsmouth has been turned down," he says.
"If he does go I will probably see little of that money, but that is a fact of life.
"We will see how things develop; it may not be fair to play him on Saturday but if he is still here next week that could be different."
Alan has brought in one recruit this week, Luke Chadwick, and he says:
"Luke Chadwick has a tremendous chance to prove himself at this club if he can recapture the early form he showed at Manchester United - he could be a big player for us."
Teddy Sheringham is likely to make his competitive debut for the Hammers and Alan adds:
"Teddy will be an important and integral part of the squad but obviously playing 46 games could be difficult for him."
As for injury news, Alan confirms:
"Steve Lomas and Don Hutchison are definitely out but Bobby Zamora is okay."
Alan knows a winning start to the season will be some challenge and concludes:
"It is a big test on Saturday and it's important we get off to a good start."